Done Since 2024-12-08

[mdlbear]

It feels as though I didn't get much done this wee, but I think that's only partly true. I didn't do nrarly as much music practice as I intended, and I had several episodes of decision paralysis, where I spent as much as an hour not deciding what to do next. Not sure how to deal with that. And falling asleep in the yellow chair downstairs, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket, a couple of times. Somewhat related to the decision paralysis.

On the other hand, I got the cardboard recycling dealt with (with some help from G this time), N and I went out and bought a scootmobile (3-wheeled enclosed mobility "scooter" thing) on Tuesday, and we put together quite a lot of flat-pack furniture, and we arranged for the couch we ordered a couple of weeks ago to be delivered (tomorrow), Paying for the scootmobile and arranging for the couch delivery required a lot of messing around phone apps, which I'm no good at. But they got done.

I should rephrase that: "I did them." I.e., I should use active voiced. I should work on my self-talk. I shouldn't "should" myself. I should break out of this self-referential self-talk loop. I think this was meant to be amusing, or ironic, but I think it fails at both.

Yesterday my brother emailed me to say that I have a new grand-nephew. So there's that.

Here Are 15 Pieces Of Advice For Life In Trump’s Economy | by Ossiana Tepfenhart (OTOH it's on Medium, so take it with a few grains of salt.)

On a lighter note, 10 Bizarre International Borders And Why They Exist (Sorry, it's on YouTube.) One of the weirder ones exists between Belgium and the Netherlands, in Baarle.

Notes & links:
1208Su  * sift litter boxen
  & awake 3:30ish
  * up 7am (second alarm); ; Dutch, dishes: load, run, empty
  * abiraterone 8:15ish; rest of am drugs 7:15; pm drugs 21:54
    : drugs got switched and I didn't notice :( so eat ~8:45->9 and don't worry about it
  @ The Missing Missing Reasons | Issendai.com estranged parents claim not to
    understand why their kids left, even after the kid tells them.  thought provoking
  @ Ship strikes now leading cause of whale deaths, UW study finds | Sea Times
  @ Syrian insurgents enter Damascus, President Assad flees Syria  | AP News
  * (with N) put together the sewing table.  Something of a struggle but it's always a lot
    easier and more fun when we do it together.  We put together the frame downstairs,
    then carried it and the legs, top(s -- it's split), and random bits upstairs
    separately.  Good call -- heavy,
  % back hurts, but I can't seem to stop puttering.  
  * make sure the vacuum is on the charger to be ready for N" tomorrow
  @ Opinion | The poor are left out of digital benefits - The Washington Post
  * 10pm put out cardboard for recycling.  some help from G this time

1209Mo  * change litter boxen (N")
  & awake 3:30ish;
  * up 7ish; ; Dutch
  * abiraterone, hydrocortisone oint. 07:10; rest of am drugs 8:30ish; pm drugs
  * 07:30 cardboard must be out for pickup (done last night)...  * bring in empty bin
  @ Mathematical Thinking Isn’t What You Think It Is | Quanta Magazine
  * 10am N" -> kitchen, first floor bedrooms.
  @ A polite disagreement bot ring is flooding Bluesky — reply guy as a (dis)service
  : N" also vacuumed the room.
  & order more air filters
  @ Here Are 15 Pieces Of Advice For Life In Trump’s Economy | by Ossiana Tepfenhart
  % sitting decision-paralysed for about the last hour.  Shower? go up and get fuzzy
    bathrobe? practice music? changes of address?  registrations? ,,,
    -> Bathrobe.  And feeding the cats, because they'd cleaned their bowls and were
       looking hungrily at me.  Or looking at me and doing their best to look hungry.
  % 20:36 I seem to be craving sweets right now -- finished off a whole AH fruit cup and
    then grabbed a roze koek ("Pink cake" - small round flat cakes with pink frosting,
    ubiquitous in Dutch grocery stores.)
  * load drugs
  % fell asleep in the chair downsstairs.  is now 23:33.

1210Tu  * sift litter boxen
  & awake 3ish
  * up 7ish; ; Dutch, 
  * abiraterone 7ish; rest of am drugs 08:26, coffee; pm drugs 22:40
  * Out with N to buy a scootmobile.  -> 3-wheeler, drives more like a motorscooter.
    Black.  On the order of €7K.  10% down. must be paid off next couple of days.
    delivery next week.
    -> should have remembered my Schwab debit card!  Would have saved a lot of trouble DAMN
  * pay customs on a couple of packages N ordered.  Or maybe I did; unclear.  Major hassle
    with the phone and postnl's website.  But done.
  % lots of trouble with several things:  paying customs (see above), trying to arrange
    for delivery of the couch, including multiple frustrations and eventually finding out
    that it had to be fully paid for (which accounted for me not being able to find the
    right paperwork), and putting together the price of the scootmobile, which involved
    frustrations with USBank and BECU.  The common factor is phones.
  * guitar:  desolation-row, QV, millennium-s-dawn.  A little trouble with fat fingers.
  * order some 3m charging cables.

1211We  * sift litter boxen
  & awake 05:48.  fed the cats and took meds; maybe too late to go back to sleep
  * up 6:30; ; shower, brush teeth, 
  * abiraterone 05:48; rest of am drugs 7ish; pm drugs 8ish
  * (with N) Assemble MBR nightstands (more like towers; I want one)
    % lots of back and hip stiffness from sitting on the floor
  * Paid for scootmobile, after determining that the money I sent to Bunq had indeed
    arrived.  Had to raise my daily limit, then it still wouldn't accept it on the web and
    told me to use my phone.  Growf, but at least it worked.
  ~ N and G's bed expected between noon and 2pm -> or else not??!?  Apparently they were
    here but couldn't find the doorbell, or even knock.  N has been understandably furious
    on the phone; I'm feeling stress symptoms.
  @ 'Our understanding of the universe may be incomplete': James Webb Space Telescope
    data suggests we need a 'new cosmic feature' to explain it all | Space
  : vitamin B6 is stuck in customs
  * 10pm set out PMD bin 22:21

1212Th  * sift litter boxen, top up
  & awake 5:30ish
  * up 7am; ; Dutch
  * abiraterone 7ish; coffee; rest of am drugs 8ish; pm drugs 21:42
  * singing:  river, wheelin,
  * DHL shipments from Land's End will require signatures  * 1/3
  @ Giving thanks for the LWN community
  * take in PMD bin
  * 18:00 Eurofilk
    * Singing - The October Country
  * 18:30 CEST cancer support group: Coping with Cancer During the Holidays
    joined ~18:50, but it was okay.  Somebody said my connection was more stable this time

1213Fr  * sift litter boxen
  & awake 3:45
  * up 7:30
  * abiraterone 7:30; rest of am drugs 8:30ish; pm drugs 6ish
  ~ 8pm Golden Bough: streamed at Golden Bough – Christmas in a Celtic Land - Old First Concerts
  : The Lenovo Thinkplus earbuds actually work with Sable, and stay far enough off my ears
    to let me hear things in the room as well (apparently).  But the signal doesn't get as
    far as the kitchen before it starts breaking up :(
  @ A new type of magnetism emerges - Science Magazine Dec. 13 2024
  x (with N) register business -- N had to cancel.
    -> she did, however, get some tentative logo designs to look at
  @ Scientists are no longer sure the Universe began with a bang | Aeon Essays
    nice historical review of relativity, etc.

1214Sa  * sift, top up litter boxen
  & as I was drifting off, there was a bright orange flash and loud boom.  Clearly,
    something exploded, but I don't know what.  No flames visible from the window.
  & awake 3:45 as usual
  * up 7ish; ; 
  * abiraterone 7ish; coffee; rest of am drugs 8ish; coffee; pm drugs 20:51
  @ Ready to ditch Windows? 5 factors to help you decide between Linux or MacOS
  : Al emailed me to say that I have a grand-nephew.  (My other grand-niblings are girls)
  @ Feeling nothing can be as devastating as feeling too much | Psyche Ideas
  * guitar:  wheelin, lock-keeper, weird load,  singing:  riverheart
  @ NEW UPDATES! | Post Cover Songs LEGALLY on YouTube 2025 (Step by Step Guide) - YT
  @ 10 Bizarre International Borders And Why They Exist - YouTube
  * The Lenovo Thinkplus earbuds have a tendency to fall off, esp. the L.  And they lose
    signal somewhere near the kitchen.  But it's a small trade-off.  They became
    uncomfortable in an hour or so.
  @ I Am Torn: Grappling With the Killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO | MedPage Today

Comments

Potato / potahto

[jesse_the_k]

Decision paralysis can also be called "resting." You've earned some time just sitting around!

Are powered mobility devices welcome on the bike network?

Re: Potato / potahto

[mdlbear]

Powered mobility devices are allowed on bike paths and even sidewalks.

I'd say it's more like potato/onion. Sitting in one place and stressing out over not being able to choose something to do is entirely different from sitting in one place and doing something relaxing (even if it's only breathing).

I love that icon! [ETA] See also, Wheelin'

Re: Potato / potahto

[jesse_the_k]

Heh! Thanks for the link — that song was my introduction to you, your filking, and your blogging.

Re: Potato / potahto

[mdlbear]

Cool! I love hearing stories about how my songs get around.

[freyjaw]

Thanks for the links!