Done Since 2022-08-28

[mdlbear]

Note that I put down "uncertain" as my mood. In this case it applies on two levels: the base level and the meta level. Because my mood seems to be "uncertain", but I'm uncertain about that.

I did put in some singing practice (six days out of the week), and also did some minor housekeeping: chording out "Another Country", making some lists, and printing some lyrics. Things have gotten a bit disheveled through having to maintain different arrangements for myself, Lookingglass Folk, and Kaleidofolk; the build chain hasn't kept up. The immediate goal is a video concert at Or-E-con2, the first weekend in November, mostly me but with backing from N and m.

Meanwhile, I have been edging closer to bringing the cats down to Seattle -- that will happen this coming weekend. There is now a cat-lock in the Seattle studio (which probably needs a better name at this point; c was calling it the Lair while he was living there, which isn't too bad.

What passes for a yard on Whidbey has become even more of a complete disaster than it was a year ago. It now consists mostly of weeds and two seasons' worth of uncut grass. I really suck at Getting Things Done.

Notes & links:
0828Su  * litter boxen
  * up 5:30ish; S=5:50, BP=133/80, P=56, W=203.8; exercises, shower
  @ Install complete Linux Mint on a USB drive | FOSS Linux (elf)
  * Singing:  For Amy, Another Country.
    % unexpectedly, it was Another Country that got me choked up.
  % making today's "done since" post, it looked like I had somehow lost last Sunday.  In
    fact what had happened was that it was mistakenly labeled 0822Mo.  Blarg.
  * rounded-up more thistles.  There are probably a lot more than I can get.  Came close
    enough to twisting an ankle (again) that I'm not going to risk another round.
  * singing:  Another Country, Riverheart, The Cap and Bells, For Amy (another copy snuck
    into the notebook while I wasn't looking)
  % 5:48p feeling overwhelmed and hopeless
  * walk - to about 1/3 of the way from Nautilus to Middle.
    % stopped when hips started hurting; mostly left.  The walk back was p~=4.5-5
  & wikipedia dive starting at Chevron
  % 7:28 weird half-feeling as if someone was present who wanted to talk to me.  Maybe.
    -> no, more like I have to do something for someone else living here.  Wash dishes.
       Empty the dryer.  Things like that.
  % it's after 7:30 and I don't see anything I really feel like making for dinner
    -> having a small bowl of yogurt as a stopgap
  % 8:40 there's some kind of weird rash on my left forearm.  Contact with some plant
    outside, presumably.  But...  Also there's a cat-scratch, ~.7cm, that might be
    slightly infected.  So there's that too.  Washed it and applied tap-hot water.
    -> diphenhydramine (1 capsule), along with meloxicam and the usual pm drugs
  @ Is The Second Year of Grief Harder? - Whats your Grief
    " After the first year, some people describe feeling like year two was when the
      reality of ‘forever’ set in.  The shift from ‘how do I just survive’ to ‘how to I
      start planning for a future without the person I lost’ is not an easy one. "
  * singing:  Eyes Like the Morning.

0829Mo
  * up 7am (alarm); S=8:31; exercises, shower
    % the rash appears to be gone.  Nettle or some other plant, probably
  @ Social media posts warn not to call 988. What you need to know : NPR
    " If you're thinking about suicide but not taking steps to act on it, 988 is unlikely
      to call law enforcement without your consent. Instead, 988 counselors can provide
      resources, referrals and a kind ear. However, if you're at imminent risk and could
      act on a plan to kill yourself, police may be called, and you could be taken to a
      hospital involuntarily. "
    -> the article lists other options at the end
    -> article originally from Kaiser Health News
    -> no information about what happens in coat-hanger states
    Calls are up, but many 988 call centers lack resources to offer in-person help
  @ The Typewriter - Leroy Anderson And His "Pops" Concert Orchestra - Muppet Version
  * singing: Wheelin', Rambing Silver Rose, Lock Keeper, Where the Heart Is, The River
    Voice improving I think; I'm capturing that lower resonance more often.
  % longish text conversation with C.O. -- the part while I tell them what's going on will
    turn into a post -- long list.  Somewhat surprising.
  % meloxicam with pm drugs

0830Tu  * litter boxen (BR - LR didn't look like it needed anything)
  * put away laundry
  * up 5:40ish; S=5:48, W=204.4, BP=178/90, P=79; (BP taken 12:51pm)
  * start dishwasher before before 8am so it will be done when water goes off at 9am
    % not surprisingly, bilateral lower back pain=~5 -> heat
  @ Stonekettle Station: Loose Lips Sink Ships
  @ 'Synthetic milk' made without cows may be coming to supermarket shelves near you
  @ CRS Report on the Metaverse (osewalrus)
  @ GS: BLOGGER SIGN UP - Chronic Illness Bloggers
    blogging tips Archives - Chronic Illness Bloggers
  : GS: did some searches on DDG.
    going sideways travel - the FB page is above the fold; #4  But that's the only one
  @ GS: Travelers with Chronic Illnesses - Chapter 5 - 2020 Yellow Book | CDC 
  @ Thomas Baekdal on
    Twitter: "The problem is that the data is skewed by how many who got infected during
    the 3rd wave. So what happens if we instead restrict the Y-axis to when the first wave
    peaked. Well, we get this: In other words, every single day, we have more case than
    during the first wave peak. https://t.co/AT1GFvpPWb"
  * singing:  For Amy, Another Country, Riverheart, Cap and Bells, Bigger on the Inside,
    % break for lunch.  Pretty seriously off today, forgetting chords and picking patterns
      Possibly due to overthinking?  Or just off.
    % scratchy throat, so stopping here.
  % gas pain(?) acid? top of stomach.  Took simethecone and tums
  % feeling a bit tight across the upper chest.  BP high.  anxiety?
  * stop at PetSmart -- they didn't have litter boxes the right size, but did have food
    and water dispensers, and the green pea and duck kibble that they like.
  * 3:50 down in Seattle.
  * book junk pickup  4:30-6:30 will call 15-30m before.  Note that it is now 4:28
    -> 4:30 received call; -> ~5:15.  more expensive than I expected, but okay
  @ What I've Learned About Having a Relationship With the Dead - Whats your Grief
  @ Errand Hanging – Without
    Obligation The errand hang | Dhaka Tribune
    " The errand hang is a term for when friends accompany each other while tending to
      mundane tasks that come with the daily life "
  @ GS: Travel Accessibility and Tips for Travelers with Disabilities resource list
  % 9:15 a bit of a headache -- time for bed
  % meloxicam with pm drugs

0831We
  * up 7am; S=7:53; exercises
  @ GS: Ay-yi-yi-yi, The Open Road is Home - GoingSideways.blog
    Bonus Post – Monterey Bay Aquarium - GoingSideways.blog
  @ Associations of body mass index, fasting insulin, and inflammation with mortality: a
    prospective cohort study | International Journal of Obesity
    " Higher fasting insulin and higher c-reactive protein confound the association
      between BMI and the risk of all-cause mortality. The increase in mortality that has
      been attributed to higher BMI is more likely due to hyperinsulinemia and
      inflammation rather than obesity. "
  @ Affirming parent tells how schools can support trans kids | openDemocracy
  @ Meditation, Dissociation, and Spiritual Bypassing
  @ National Museum of Mathematics
    m says we should visit.  (While looking at my 120-cell model.)
  @ How to Buy and Use a Burner Phone | WIRED 
  @ Paul Krugman: Asimov's Foundation novels grounded my economics | The Guardian
  @ How ‘the Most Vicious, Horrible Animal Alive’ Became a YouTube Star - NYT
    Mink, trained to hunt pests like muscrats and rats.  Like falconry.
    Cue Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons
  @ GS Balancing full-time RV travel life with chronic illness - Counting My Spoons
  * got cat-lock (cardboard) more or less taped together

0901Th
  * awake 4:30; S=3:52; down 5:45; gave up 6:15
  * up 6:15; S=4:21; out of bed 7ish.
  @ The Foundation series audio drama, 1973, complete (8 parts) : BBC Radiophonic
    Workshop :  Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
    The Foundation Trilogy (BBC Radio) - Wikipedia
  * load drugs
  * 2:ish take K to Lynnwood -- get address. -> Alderwood Mall  G will pick up.
  * back up to Whidbey
  : my replacement CPAP arrived.  It's the DS-2, not the DS Advanced.  Looks like it might
    have the same power connector, though because of the location the new one has a tab
    for removing it.  The power brick is a little lighter, though.  Came with tubing but
    no mask.  Return instructions are rather sketchy.  The paper filter went missing for a
    while  -> ordered a batch from $A; they'll be at RE Saturday.  Then found it, but
    having spares never hurts.
  % once again, I'm feeling like my blood sugar is low without having anything to hand
    that I actually want to eat.  -> frozen pizza, which was probably not a good choice
  * singing: 9:45 -> 10:10  Lock Keeper, Riverheart, Another Country
  * check Colleen's stash for red+black dragon fabric (for G)  -> found.  On sewing table

0902Fr  * litter boxen
  & awake 3:30;
  : The new CPAP appears to have worked okay, modulo a little "new plastic" smell at first
  * up 4:15; S=4:17, W=203.2, BP=126/82, P=69;
  * chord out Another Country
  * singing: Another Country
  * swap mattresses
  % realizing that I should probably have left the bed and taken down the chair.
  * 15min: thistles.  More bending than I should have done, of course.  -> heat
  & changed into one of Colleen's cotton house-dresses while waiting for the laundry.
    Pink with white flowers, and nice deep pockets.  Comfortable.
  % some serious drifting/half-dozing 5ish
  % R. hip sore after doing the litter boxen.  -> * heat, o meloxicam
  % also mild pain (p~=2.5 but with a twinge or two) in groin area on the right
  % Being alone in the house is _really weird_.  It'll be more so without the cats.
  % warm bath -- maybe that will help me sleep  -> but I didn't _stay_ asleep :(
  
0903Sa
  & awake 3:30ish; did not get back to sleep
    % thinking about moving, not politics, for once.  Not sure which is worse
  * up 4:30ish; S=4:39;
  @ Masao Dahlgren on Twitter: "I made an AI show us how artists of the past might view
    nuclear war. (Images generated by Stable Diffusion 1.4) 1. Goya:
    https://t.co/vhsyZi1F0C" / Twitter 
  * 3n/1   CPAP RE:  replace mask                                   3 mod 6 (03,09)
  * 3n/1   CPAP RE:  replace tubing (old-style 15mm)                3 mod 6 (03,09)
  * 0901   CPAP taking the 10mm tube down to RS to test-e 
  ~ print songbook (for EP, from song list) -> basically everything of mine and some
    of Naomi's that I want to consider -- and work on
  * singing:  Another Country, Eyes Like the Morning.  One (L) finger hurting
  % at this point clearing out the house is close enough to cause panic
  * 11am L' coming by for goodbye hug (and a couple of hours' conversation)
    -> gave her her choice from Colleen's clothing stash; she picked the short purple cape
    -> (she gave me a pewter Minnesota souvenir shotglass
    -> also pointed her at goingsideways.blog, rainbows-end.net, and my DW.  r-e.net
       because we'd talked about memorials on the web.
  * verified that the spools of wead-whacker string I'd gotten for the Ryobi weed-whacker
    actually do fit.  Did not actually test because there was no battery in it and lazy.
  * signal boost on  * DW(last Wednesday) * FB,  * TW
  * take down next trip:  the black/red dragon fabric that G wanted, power strips and
    squid/extension cord, tape gun, some of the cat stuff
  * buy Sherpa cat carrier (will be delivered tomorrow at RS)
  * heading down ~3:15 ... 5:30ish
    -> bringing tape gun, a power strip, a squid, canned catfood, a bag of kibble, etc.
  @ Is Sunscreen the New Margarine? - Outside Online Seems that Vitamin D may just be
    a marker for sunlight exposure.
  * finished bottle of Damrak gin that's been at RS for a while
  % 8ish - sleepy.  Keep dozing off and waking abruptly
  : As it turns out the CPAP power supply I have down in RS has the identical connector,
    with the little pull-tab.  I should take the old one up to RE in case the one that's
    there doesn't.
  % meloxicam

Comments

[spiffyvoxel]

Our lawn hasn't grown much this summer due to lack of rain, so I've not had much need to do the mowing. However, the shrubs and bushes are another matter — I've had to help with pruning, one shrub has been removed and our ivy & honeysuckle are due to be cut down soon.

My week was very stressful. We had a power outage and water leak in rapid succession, requiring the call-out of both plumber and electrician. (Power is back and the leak is fixed, but the lights circuit is off until we're sure the water residue has dried up.) Then my mum's old iMac stopped working and we helped her buy and collect a new one at the weekend. (This was on a Saturday, the worst time to venture into the centre of town, so more stress for me.)

Window installers will be finishing off the sealing around the new double-glazing today, then I can finally start moving my computer back into my room and return to some semblance of normality.

[thnidu]

I liked the lyrics of that song, and I'd like to be able to hear it.

[mdlbear]

"Another Country"? I have a recording, but no idea why it wasn't linked. Anyway, it's steve.savitzky.net/Songs/another/another.mp3. I keep meaning to track down more audio, but...

ETA: it's properly linked now: see Another Country.