Category: The DayBook

This morning, I decided to go back to the office. Last time that I was actually in the office was October 29, 2019. The office has moved twice since then. Some new people. Some old people. Some people came and went without me ever seeing them in person.

It was great to be out of The Asylum and back in the “normal” world. But, I don’t think that I’ll be returning to the office on a regular basis. It is just too easy to WFH. 

While at work I got a flu shot and picked up a sandwich and a Starbucks. Had lunch in the park before heading home. I shared my sandwich with a cute little black squirrel. My sandwich. Not my coffee. Just my sandwich.

Upon my return to The Asylum, I promptly took to my bed for a nap. I can only stand but so much excitement. 

It was a good day to watch the weather out the window.  Water was coming in from outside when we were eating dinner. Table cloths were put down to soak up the water. I charged up my two hefty power banks. But, the electricity has been good. By tomorrow it should be all finished and for the first time in weeks, it will be windows open weather.

Think it is time to move on to another version of Dr. Kawasaki’s rose. 

Major Concession to Old Age. Last week I built a big old spreadsheet to track people and their Covid vaccinations. It’s the one that ate up all of my computer memory. Well, yesterday, I had to modify it. Seems that I managed to forget how it fitted together in less than a week. Today, in a Major Concession to Old Age, I installed a  “Notes to Peg” tab to remind me what the data sources are and what tweaks have to be made.  A mental Zimmer frame.  Getting OLD sucks. Not really sure that it beats the alternative. 

Spent the day wrangling data. But, I did knock out 2 roses. I used 6-inch “tant” paper. By the time Alexa reminded me to get ready for dinner, my brain had switched off. Fortunately, all I had to do was go downstairs. Guess I shouldn’t say my brain switched off. We have people here with permanently switched off brains. One sad lady has forgotten how to run the elevator which is a problem when you have a walker and live on the 6th floor.

It really looks like a college should. For no apparent reason, my college looked like a cheap version of Tibet. 

This is Dr. Kawsaki’s original rose.  He said that it was harder than his rosebud. So, I was expecting another 3-week struggle. But, I was surprised to discover that the crease pattern is almost identical to the bud crease pattern, with only 8 additional creases. The twist and the collapse parts are the same. The only difference is what I call the “bottom”. (It is formally known as the “lock”.) But I had had so much trouble with the bottom of the rosebud that I knew everything that could possibly go wrong. 

This is the version that I set out to create so many days ago. Don’t know if I want to try any of the other variations. Maybe I should just stop while I am ahead.

I am bored with summer. I would normally be lolling around at Greenbank Guest House in Bermuda in late August and early September. But, that was BC. Before Covid.

Made my keeper rose out of cheap 12-inch paper.  Tomorrow I’ll try the next rose in Dr. Kawasaki’s collection. I have crease patterns for all 6 of his roses. The good doctor called this one “easy”.

Have to fix my own dinner tonight. I didn’t get my takeout order placed in time. No problem, I have shrimp, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. And The Asylum Sisters are having an indoor picnic this evening. One of the sisters needs “help” with some chocolate ice cream. I can do that.

I have been feeling tired for the last couple of days. It could be the beginning of the end. Or it could just be that I haven’t been sleeping all that great. At night. Sleeping fine during the day. 

This afternoon, I finally got the bottom of the rosebud “good enough”. 

Indeed, I declared it good enough to give away. 

Last night I found these words of encouragement on a Japanese site. Alternately you can give up and use tape or glue to close the rose. This was Google’s translation. 

Today I took every rose that I had made apart to the bottom close part and tried to figure out what went wrong. Fortunately, the bottom is the last part of the process. Finally, I started a new rose and it worked.  I wanted to make a rose for a friend who had a fall and broke a hip. And, I was surprised that I got one that was presentable. 

 

For no good reason, I took this old beagle on a “run” around The Asylum Wilderness Trail. Not sure which one of us had the most fun. And, I saw another pile of coyote scat.

I have seen pictures online. The bottom can be done correctly. By Dr. Kawasaki and at least one other person. And, it was done correctly on the rose that I took apart to get the crease pattern. So, that makes 3 people that can for sure do it. 

 

BTW-I can not get the one that I took apart back together.

Well, that was interesting. Apparently, my spreadsheet maxed out memory.  Most likely because I am running VMWare. It’s a fairly complex collection of spreadsheets. But, I shouldn’t run out of memory.  I am betting everything will be OK tomorrow. VMWare is a little wierd.

Lots of interesting shit today. I was doing my after-work walkabout The Asylum grounds, and what do I find? I am fairly sure it is coyote scat. Maybe our “wilderness trail” has a wild side.

The Kawasaki Rose remains elusive

Everyone’s Kawasaki Rose might have tape on the bottom. But, I doubt it!

Been working on this Rosebud since last Friday I think. I almost have it. I do get impatient. I am very careful at the beginning but sprint to the finish. 

I found this perfect little rose on my walkabout this afternoon.  

OK day of work. And The Asylum managed to produce a good burger this evening.  Onion. Tomato. Cheese. Mustard. Rare. 

Feeling pretty mortal today. How can Charlie Watts have died? He was my age. People younger than me die every day. This getting old shit really starts to cut close to the heart. I put a newish pair of Dansko clogs and a perfect pair of jeans into the daily clothing rotation recently. No way I am ever going to wear either of those out. In this life. 

Wandered into this old picture of Carlton this afternoon.  As Brother Iz said: The only dream that mattered had come true. In this life, I was loved by you.

Not so much time to spend folding Kawasaki rosebuds. I don’t think I finish this one today. I can get this far.

But then, I think I get impatient (me? impatient?) and rush the next part of the process. I am going to put the ¾ finished model aside and will try to get the last part of the collapse to work tomorrow. 

Dinner was so bad tonight that the front of the house supervisor saw my food and she took it away and brought out a replacement dinner. It’s hard to screw up fish and chips but they managed it.

This is pretty bleak. The sun is marching south. By the end of October,  it will be behind a building and there will be absolutely no sunshine in the Old Bat’s Cave until early March. I didn’t know this until last winter.  

Most of the day I wrangled data. I think I have an unhealthy relationship with Excel. We spend way too much time together.

A very ordinary day. Mostly worked today. Sort of getting back in gear for when work will really start 3rd week of September with Covid vaccinations followed by all October doing flu shots.

Did make it out for a couple of little walkabouts. Barre class is canceled again tomorrow because of building leaks.  And there is mac&cheese for dinner tonight. The food still sucks here at the asylum. I think they get mac&cheese frozen from Sysco. So, it’s usually good.  Hard to mess up frozen mac&cheese. 

I haven’t had time to make a rose yet today. Maybe after dinner. 

Addendum:

The topside is almost OK, but the undercarriage is pretty bad. Think I need to get that down before moving one to another version. Dr. Kawasaki has at least 6 roses. Ranging from this one. Which he says is EASY. Up to one that he calls CHALLENGING. 

As Mr. C said: “If you think you are having fun, you are having fun.”

A nice lazy Sunday. 
Went to the grocery.
Breakfast outside with the crows. 
Lost my phone. In my studio apartment.
Found my phone. It was right where it was supposed to be.
Decide NOT to rearrange the furniture in my studio apartment.
Watered the orchids. (I think one needs more water.)
Folded one origami rosebud.
Took a nap. 
Wrangled some data for the hospital.
Dinner with friends.
Finished wrangling the data.

I am not there yet. But, I am getting closer. Only made one today.  Too busy losing and finding my phone and napping.