mdlbear | Done Since 2024-08-25 (Reply)

It's been a week. A busy week; perhaps not busy enough. Arguably, a productive week. Again, perhaps not productive enough. It also included several (mental and physical)health- related things -- the final results from my colonoscopy (2 benign polyps, so no need for more colonoscopies in the future), my last (unless I find myself back here next year) Medicare "annual wellness visit" with Dr. Chopra, and zoom visits with my spiritual care advisor (is pastor the right word? I don't think so) Elizabeth G, my integrative medicine person (no idea what her official position is) Susanna M, and my oncology social worker Jonathan C. I have one more visit scheduled later this month with Elizabeth, and with my medical oncologist Dr. Sunkara.

I'm going to miss all those people. Some have asked me to keep in touch, which is nice. There will be lots of blog posts in my future, and thoughts about leave-taking rituals and self-care.

The whole idea of moving still terrifies and saddens me, but I've noticed that when I'm talking about it with someone else (see above), I seem to exhibit something that at least resembles excitement. I'll take it.

Links include This tiny Dutch vehicle for people with disabilities is taking off | MIT Tech Rev, This Japanese Artist Creates Delicate Food Art, and Here Are 73 Of The Best Pieces, and NASA Composite Booms Deploy, Mission Sets Sail in Space (ObFilk The Shores of the Night).

Notes & links:
0825Su
& awake 3:30ish; gave up 4:30
: The DS2's humidifier simply isn't working. giving up on that, too
-> "Heated tube error. contact support if problem continues"
* up 6:59; S=5:45;
* abiraterone 06:32; rest of am drugs 07:55; pm drugs 22:50
* H2O: 07:56, 08:12, ??, 22:15,
@ Compare the Climate and Weather in Seattle and The Hague - Weather Spark
@ The Multitasking Marvel: How Street Trees Can Solve Many Municipal Problems (ysabetwordsmith)
@ A Prominent Accessibility Advocate Worked With Studios and Inspired Change. But She
Never Actually Existed. - IGN I'd like to see a second source, though.
see talk and history on Wikipedia: Can I Play That?
Death and Deception in Disabled Gaming | MetaFilter
* 15mn: load/start dishwasher. 1h cycle, to clear some of the sink for E'
* 11am E' -- here; mostly m
<- get m to sort through stuff in boxes and bags
@ Inside Boeing’s factory lapses that led to the Alaska Air blowout | Seattle Times
@ Never thought I’d see it: There’s now a group less popular than atheists (in WA)
" Republicans, you’re now less popular here than the atheists! "
" The Republican brand began its long slide when Nixon employed the Southern Strategy
in 1968. Over the next 24 years, they did little to discourage/reform the racists,
misogynists, and xenophobes in their ranks. (From a comment) "
-* decided to use the large, 2-layer Bagsmart bag for my small microphones, my Edirol
USB interface, and enough stuff to make them usable. I can put it in my checked
luggage, and that way I'll be able to conference and record immediately on arrival.
Not that I'm likely to do either of those.
@ René Daumal’s Alpine Allegory of Courage and the Measure of Wisdom
@ Why I’m Returning to Old-School Blogging | by Carmellita | The Pub | Medium
@ Recovering the Lost Art of Old-Fashioned Blogging – Richly Rooted
@ How to find new spiritual practices | Psyche Guides
@ Radical love: how my trans child changed my identity as a mother | Psyche Ideas
* 2min: test using the Bose directly (in the headphone/headset jack) for audio I/O.
-> Seems to work well enough that I'll try using it on Tuesday.
@ Major Backdoor in Millions of RFID Cards Allows Instant Cloning - SecurityWeek
& packed large bagsmart bag (see above). Edirol i/f, short mic cables, all the small
mics, stereo bars, desk clamp and other h/w. Will go in checked luggage.
: The zipper on the outside pocket of my shoulder bag, where I keep my keys, simply tore
off. Don't know whether the fabric was weakened or whether it was glued rather than
stitched, but anyway it's a major annoyance.

0826Mo * litter boxen
@ Women's Equality Day
& awake 3ish;
* up 6:50; S=7:10, W=190.4; exercises, Dutch
* abiraterone 06:59; rest of am drugs 07:57; pm drugs 21:27
* H2O: 7:57, 08:20:c, 08:51, 12:42,
@ Embark on an Epic Journey: From Field to Dugout, The Hobbit's House - YouTube
% somehow managed to get to #1 in Duolingo. 337-day streak so far.
! accomplished
* 10ish collect Eli at Northgate Station
% I'm actually entirely capable of sitting on the floor these days. Didn't think I
was, but I seem to have gotten more comfortable with it over the last few weeks.
* ask movers
*- what "AES value" means on shipper profile
*- how to deal with the sewing machine, which has been in use for < 6 months
*- whether to fill out by hand and scan, or fill out electronically (it's a .doc)
* walk - just up Aurora to taqueria -- didn't get anything because crowded and raining
@ The world's smallest car? Meet the "Canta": Amsterdam Travel Guide
This tiny Dutch vehicle for people with disabilities is taking off | MIT Tech Rev
* paper towels, x coffee to Lair

0827Tu
@ World Rock Paper Scissors Day (August 27th) | Days Of The Year
& awake 3ish?
* up 7:00; S=8:55; exercises, Dutch
* abiraterone 07:04; rest of am drugs 08:49; pm drugs 22:23
* H2O: 07:24, 09:08, 11:49, 15:32, 20:49,
@ Hackers infect ISPs with malware that steals customers’ credentials | Ars
@ This Japanese Artist Creates Delicate Food Art, and Here Are 73 Of The Best
Pieces (minoanmiss)
@ The gay penguins that changed how we think about same-sex love (andrewducker)
" Bisexuality may be “an evolutionary optimum phenotype in many species, including
humans,” "
@ Jaywalking Legalized in California – What It Means for Pedestrians
" Jaywalking is no longer enough to prove that a pedestrian was negligent per se "
* confirm dates for Starwood -* ping N for date range -* email sent
-> between 10/12 and 10/22. Preferably around 10/14-15.
-> ask how contacting the vet is going to be handled.
* 10am - 11:30 Memory Keepers grief support group
* 2pm telehealth with (spiritual care)Elisabeth
saying goodbye to people, AK's email, leavetaking rituals. thinking about the latter:
"When I Go", last appointments, etc.
: major complication from starwood:
" To prove to the Netherlands's government that your pet is arriving non-commercially,
we must provide proof that you are arriving within 5 days of your pet. Please upload
a copy, picture, or screenshot of your flight ticket below. "
* 4:15 telehealth with (integrative medicine)Susanna Myers
-> she wants to keep in touch, which is nice. From visit notes:
" Towards the end of our visit, I invited Steve to contemplate
-> a) the prompt: "What are you leaving behind, and what are you taking with you?"
-> And b) what rituals, in the broadest sense of the word, will you need to support
this transition? " ... sounds like a couple of blog posts
: fsdking gm website doesn't work on Firefox. WTF? Chromium works.

0828We * litter boxen
& awake 4:30ish
* up 6:30; S=7:33, BP=127/74, P=65; exercises,
% woke up on my L side with my R nostril plugged up -- what's up with that?
* abiraterone 06:41; rest of am drugs 07:44; pm drugs
* H2O: 07:50:c, 08:00, 9:40ish, ??, ??:gin
@ Cycling in Amsterdam: watch the traffic flow at a transformed busy intersection! –
BICYCLE DUTCH (via Does AI benefit the world? – Chelsea Troy)
* check on Express Scripts. KCl is ready to ship; Bupropion 150 and doxazosin will
* 1pm telehealth (social work)Johnathan
-> print out several copies of the release of information form
-> He'll bring up the topic of abiraterone with the team
-> discussed fidgets. He mentioned clicky pen, bracelets (which I don't have)
I mentioned worry stick, magnets, fidget ring (which I don't have)
*- request 90-day supply of abiraterone
* contact Jerad about my share of the down payment: -> email sent 1:57
-> 14:50 left voice message
* cat+carrier pix in the house. Still need to do the Lair.
* 15min: start cleaning fountain pens.
* 15min: signing stuff for NL
% snail mail from Gastro Health: both polyps were benign. Further colonoscopies are not
recommended at my age.
: snail mail from Premera: the preliminary "office visit" at Gastro on 0730 isn't
covered by medicare, so it'll cost $348. Wait for bill from Gastro Health.
* load drugs

0829Th
& awake 4ish
* up 07:30; S=6:59; Dutch, exercises
* abiraterone 07:38; rest of am drugs 08:39; pm drug 22:39
* H2O: 08:20, 10:31, ??, 21:10,
@ Apple Just Quietly Exposed The *AI Prompts* Powering Apple Intelligence | Medium
* singing: intro and 1 verse/chorus of Millennium's Dawn. Very sloppy, of course.
* follow up on house down payment.
-> Jerad called around 11am. Some confusion.
-* sent email to notary asking for confirmation and more details
-* also added a zip of the sourcing information
% R inguinal hernia troublesome: mild ache since yesterday; lump of fat seems to have
been extruded. May have to deal with that. Ask Saturday?
* confirm shipping date (1023We) for the cats; vet appointments 10am Monday. N is
worried and is emailing Starwood about what happens if the certs don't get to them on
time (USDA and FedEx).
* walk: Dayton+90th 17:01: 0.9mi, s=2100, 24min, 8hp; 29mm.
% still tingly; don't know what's up with that.
& disassembled the Seagate external drive that wasn't working -- the drive inside was an
ordinary 1.5TB SATA, and spun up with no problems. one partition, labeled "Archive";
looks like it's from 2012. doesn't look it has anything that's missing from nova.
& email movers the shipper profile
* get funds transfer started -- first upload house sale etc. stuff to notary

0830Fr * litter boxen
& awake 4ish
* up 7:30; S=8:47;
* abiraterone 07:36; rest of am drugs 8:30ish; pm drugs 22:10
* H2O: 11:44, 13:00ish:c, 15:36, 19:05,
* 10am collect Eli at Northgate Station
Take pix of the upstairs unit to be sent to the movers
~ skipping 10:30 Embroidery class
% 11:59 really somewhat out of it this morning. undercaffeinated? coffee NOW
* walk: Dayton+90th 16:03: w=0.9mi, s=2166, 24min, 18hp; 44mm.
: Same walk as yesterday, same time, same steps, totally different heart points. :P
& still wasting a lot of time looking at bags to replace the Eagle Creek shoulder bag
* swap sm. iGo power brick in Lair with a small 65W brick, for carry-on. Slightly
heavier, but thinner and includes USB charging port.

0831Sa
& awake 4:30ish
* up 06:20; S=6:26; (some)exercises, Dutch
* abiraterone 06:20; rest of am drugs 07:27; pm drugs 21:54
* H2O: 07:27, ??:c, 08:59, 13:02, 21:25,
@ The secret inside One Million Checkboxes | eieio.games (andrewducker
Scaling One Million Checkboxes to 650,000,000 checks | eieio.games
* 10:15 leave for 10:45 checking for 11am wellness exam Dr. Chopra, UW Shoreline
-> lipid panel. High (223 vs <150) triglycerides, low (37 ca >39)HDL, as usual.
-> EKG. normal, but I have a cardio referral anyway. Probably won't get an
appointment before I leave.
@ Rewilding A Forest | Artist and Poet Maria "Vildhjärta" Westerberg - YouTube
(via Croatia – The Land of Ghosts - by Atulya K Bingham)
@ NASA Composite Booms Deploy, Mission Sets Sail in Space
NASA Next-Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology Ready for Launch - NASA
* 15min: dishes (load, run)
* 15min: laundry
% R elbow scaly and itchy -- trying aquaphor 16:10
@ FDA Approves and Authorizes Updated mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines to Better Protect Against
Currently Circulating Variants | FDA
" if previously vaccinated, the dose is administered at least 2 months since the last
dose of any COVID-19 vaccine. "
* Finish "Gift From the Sea". I think it's my second read or so. This copy was
inscribed to my mother, from some friends. (Emile and Emi -- Emi is the woman who
designed all Mom's needlepoint canvases.)
% 21:36 I haven't done much of anything today, but I feel exhausted. Maybe the fact
that I woke up at 4:30 and didn't get back to sleep? Hmmm....
% 22:10 definitely out of it. Maybe need calories? -> prune, fiber