Category: The DayBook

I have noticed a shortage of butterfly this summer. Now, we don’t live in a butterfly friendly area – being mostly surrounded by concrete … but fewer this summer. This is the first/only monarch that I have seen. Outside of Arlington Central Library.

Enjoy Every Sandwich: Turkey, smoked gouda, avocado on ciabatta roll. With a peachy. Finest kind. Finest kind.

You may recall that I have no words to describe my feeling about Westboro Baptist Church … so I’ll let Adam Hill say it for me.

There are always a couple of goldfinch’s out behind the Nature Conservancy at this time of year. So, I went out on a finch hunt this afternoon.

And, nothing is going on. Nothing at all. That is a good thing.

Enjoy every sandwich: I think it will be grilled ham, cheese and tomato. And maybe finish up the melon.

Since I have nothing worth saying or even complaining about – how about another goldfinch. This one leaves much to be desired – but I sort of like it. What ever happens is what I planned!

Absolutely nothing going on, and that is a good thing.

Our air conditioner died yesterday. But it was fixed this morning. And, we are nicely chilled now.

Mr C’s radiation machine was “down” this morning. But, it got fixed and he got nuked this afternoon.

Enjoy Every Sandwich: Chicken Salad on wheat. With a peach or two.

 

Around our building summer brings a series of reliable events. Rolling Thunder is Memorial Day weekend, then in June there is the Clarendon Bike Race. July is filled with fireworks. Mid-August comes the Bolivian Dance Festival at the church across the street. And that sort of wraps up our summer.

Now, I don’t know why there was this fuzzy white bear with strange ears and a spider at the Bolivian dance contest. But, it was a crowd favorite.

I took about 500 mediocre pictures. I deleted all but 50 of them. Here is another.

Enjoying every sandwich today: Tuna, cheese and tomato. I might fire off some cheese burgers tonight. We’ll see.

Today, was a great day to set the camera on f8, the ISO to 400 and the focus to manual at the approximate hyperfocus distance and just shoot. Oh yes, and I set the camera to record in B/W as well, to complete the vintage experience. Just like using an old “Brownie” camera. Line up the shot and shoot. Nothing else to do, consider or adjust.

In the back ground are old left over from WWII apartments. Most places would have torn them down long ago, but Arlington kept them. They continue to be in demand. Some have been gentrified and others provide affordable housing to the people who make life worth living by doing all the stuff that we would rather not do. Like yard work, trash collection, bus driving, elder care…

Enjoy every sandwich – tuna melt. And a slice or two of really fine melon from the farm market.

 

Playing around with the new camera last night. I popped the ISO up to 26,500 and shot alway. Not too good, but useable.

Carlton pointed out that we will be moving to the old folks asylum in 20 months, not the 15 months I mentioned yesterday. Twenty is better.

Enjoy Every Sandwich: Thinking maybe some sort of quesadilla. Chicken, peaches and gorgonzola? Sounds good. It will be good.

Unlike most of the world, our little neighborhood is a fine place. The music, peaches and weather were all good. I was good today too.

Alright, here is my latest thinking on the old folk’s asylum. First – we would not move until April 2016, when the lease is up.  When you are our age – that is a L O N G time. 15 months ago, I was just a little worried about Mr C, but I was sure that he was going to be OK. I am not at all sure that he will even be here in 15 months. Heck, nobody is promised tomorrow. I might not be here. You, dear reader, might not be here. 15 months is a long time.

So, I think I’ll just put down a refundable deposit and non-refundable credit/criminal/medical check fee and say that I only want a two bedroom corner unit with south and east exposure on the top 4 floors. If Mr C dies in the mean time, I’ll get his money back and change my order to one or two bedroom corner unit with south and east exposure on the top 4 floors.

If a unit that matches my specs comes up – I don’t have to take it. Until late 2015 – I’ll just say “pass”. Come late 2015 – I’ll start looking seriously at all potential apartments.

Carlton wants me to “do something” but I think he plans on being someone’s cadaver at Georgetown University Medical School by the time it is time to move. So, he isn’t expressing any opinions beyond “You need to do something”.

So, I’ll have $600 at risk. Plus $1,000 that I can get back if I never move in.

OH BTW, I am leaning towards the asylum that serves dinner until 8PM, has wifi in all the apartments and a bar in the lobby. The wifi isn’t important – I can always get internet – but it shows that management is at least trying to make the place appealing to the younger old people. Now, if only it wasn’t surrounded by strip malls.

Enjoy Every Sandwich: Chicken, cheese and peach quesadilla.

It is a lovely day weatherwise, but I am just feeling a little droopy and tired and every one of my 70 years. I even processed that fine pink flower with a very dark tone.

But, at the volunteer job, I have finished creating some online forms so our applicants can, if they choose, fill out our paperwork before they get to our office. Hospitals have lots of paperwork. My new system went into alpha testing this morning. That means, if our receptionist thinks the person on the phone making an appointment to see us is reasonably intelligent and agreeable – she will get them to test the new forms.

Enjoy every sandwich: Chicken, peach and smokey gouda … Grilled. Maybe, I need to add a beer to that menu. That might perk me up. It sure won’t hurt.

No pictures today. You really don’t want to see my photos from my trek in the middle of a raging monsoon to see the some of the apartments and meet some of the residents at the old folks asylum.

The more I see of the place, the better it seems. Or maybe, maybe I am just getting used to being a potential resident of an old folk’s asylum. And every time I go there – the neighborhood is still totally strip mall – but, I am getting over it.

I brought an application home with me today.

Ok, gotta have a picture – this is just outside DC. One lady had a great collection of 20th century presidential campaign buttons. In her laundry room!

 

 

Something new today. I took three pictures today. And here they all. All within 3 blocks of home. Now, I think I’ll delete all of them. Well, maybe not the chicken.

Enjoy Every Sandwich: Grilled ham, cheese and tomato.

Mr C has finished his first week of this round of radiation. He looks the same to me. I guess the same is better than worse.

 

It is that time of year again. When I try to figure out how to digitize all my photos and albums. I do not want to move them all to the old ladies home. And, I am realistic enough to know that when I am dead nobody will want the photos.

Last summer, when I was doing this same thing – a friend reminded me that perfection is the enemy of progress or some such thing. I am toying with the idea of photographing my photographs. The trouble with flat bed scanning is DUST. I considered renting a professional Kodak photo scanner. And, just sending all the photos to one of those scan all your stuff outfits. Not one in India – one somewhere in the US. I will get a copy stand if I do the photo option.

Enjoy Every Sandwich – Today’s “sandwich” was a really nice salad of yellow fin tuna, green beans, tomato, hard boiled eggs and shaved parmesan cheese. With a roll. Sort of a tuna salad sandwich!

This photo was photographed. At ISO 1600. Proper settings and light would make for better results.

The password update has begun. 1Password was selected, because the day after I started thinking about converting password managers as well as changing all my passwords, 1Password went on sale. I figured that was a sign that 1Password was the one to use.

I am starting to think positively about moving to an old folks asylum in the spring of 2016. If it is really going to happen, I’ll need to have another massive downsizing. But, that is OK. I am going to make another scouting mission to the potential asylum on Tuesday afternoon. One quarter of the residents are over 90. At that rate, I could live there 20 years. So, I’d better like it. I must think of it is my home and not a penal colony for old women!

On a more serious note… The world is not a happy place at this instant. We need more flying pigs and fewer flying projectiles.

Enjoy every sandwich: Chicken and avocado quesadilla sounds good.