Before – The real dealAfter – The Photoshopped deal.
Too bad there isn’t Photoshop for the spirit. I am very tired of winter. And there hasn’t really been much winter.
But I have been enjoying the Chinese balloon saga. I was hoping it would fly over DC. No luck.
I have a bunch of things that are 90% done. Have to kick my ass in gear and get them finished. THEN. THEN. I can go on a little trip. But, not until I get my affairs in order and my taxes ready for the Tax Guy. It would really be easier to just do the taxes myself. There is no real deadline so there is no real incentive to wrap things up.
Hey, I found Photoshop for the spirit! Dinner with my besties. And free wine.
Sun is finding its way back into the Old Bat’s Cave.
Getting about 15 minutes of sun in my room early every morning. Sun didn’t do a heap of good today warming things up-wise. It has been below freezing all day and the wind has been howling around.
Which brings up. The Northwest Passage. In early December I was thinking about three boat trips. December 8, 2022 Now The Old Bat is fast approaching “If not now, when?” So… Money on the table for …
Northwest Passage. August 24 -Sept 22. 2023 of course!
I’ll pick up a charter flight in Toronto to Greenland and the boat and get off the boat in Nome for a charter out to Anchorage. Icebergs willing. It’s with an Australian company that had a nontrivial problem with a covid infested ship in March 2020. I picked this one because it seems to make more stops along the way. And because the ship doesn’t make any pretense of formality. They are Aussies for goodness sake. The only dress requirement seems to be “closed shoes” when outside of your cabin. Oh and waterproof pants when going off the boat.
They also offer snorkeling. I am pretty sure that I should give that one a pass. I will pass on ocean kayaking. And paddle boarding.
Apparently, most of the passengers are from Australia or New Zealand. Guessing the boat will be wired for Type I plugs. The artic is a wifi free zone. No cell towers either. 30 days. Off line. Kinda Scary.
Wonder if they will serve roast groundhog for dinner tonight? Actually not fair. Tonight is Petit Fillet night. Believe I’ll have mine with fries. Steak Frites. Complete with cheap red wine.
I am tired of winter. And we haven’t really had any winter. So, I asked ChatGPT how to survive winter.
From ChatGPT: Here are some ideas to help you enjoy winter:
Outdoor activities: Take advantage of the winter weather by going skiing, snowboarding, sledding, ice skating, or snowshoeing.
Winter sports: Watch or participate in winter sports such as ice hockey, curling, or the biathlon.
Winter festivals: Attend a winter festival or fair, such as a Christmas market or a winter carnival.
Hot springs: Soak in a hot spring or visit a spa to relax and warm up.
Indoor activities: Try indoor activities such as cooking, reading, movies, or video games.
Travel: Visit a winter destination, such as a ski resort or a winter wonderland.
Woke up this morning to a little sprinkles of snow. Didn’t amount to anything.
Rather attractive. For snow, that is.
Soon the sun was out and I got my sorry ass out for a nice walkabout. No complaints at all. The sun was shining. There was no wind. Nothing was slippery.
And, the weather in Hawai’i is looking better this afternoon.
A little reflection of getting older. I find that my focus has narrowed. As recently as BC (Before Covid), I didn’t see boundaries. I still had time to go everywhere, time to read all of the unread books that live on my Kindle, time to learn to make every origami model. Time to do everything. All I had to do was work harder and/or smarter.
Well, guess what? Nobody is promised tomorrow. And, I find myself consciously editing my life to fit into my perceived boundaries. And, also fighting the editing process. The old conflict. Plan like you are going to live forever. Live like today is your last.
Little things, like reading the books that I really want to read NOW. And not save them for LATER. Big things like getting my affairs in order. Little things like not buying a 5 year supply of conditioner. Big things like realizing that if I am doing to do the northwest passage and get off the boat, I best do it this summer.
It is as if every day has become more valuable. Every friend more precious.
It was 10 degrees warmer when I woke up this morning than it is now. It’s just plain nasty out. Time for gratitude?
Gratitude
Homemade, by someone else, cookies. Hot coffee. Cold beer. Zoom yoga. Origami with a friend. Great tax loophole for residents of the asylum. Almost ½ of my yearly “room and board” charges are tax deductible as a “medical expense”. I don’t approve of tax loopholes. But, I am not dumb enough to turn one down. My 9 year old Kindle. Handmade, by someone else, wool socks.
And, it is snowing in Hawaii. Not in Kona. But not that far away either.
Death by Beige. (Looking out my door for the WSJ at 0600 hours)
After this rather bleak start, I had a fine day. It was almost 60°. And I spent much of the day outside.
I celebrated global warming by going to the hospital with a friend and then walking back home. It’s a little over 3 miles, not far for the young. A little farther for the elderly.
It was a great day to be outside. Walked home from the hospital.
It was just good to get out in the real world. The Asylum can be a little like a cruise ship to dead. Notice above, we have rails on the walls. Friends get big serious diseases. 12 residents have died since I returned from Hawai’i. We have buffets and trivial pursuits. And Bingo. Plus enrichment lectures. It is good to get out in the real world.
Nice and toasty 53° today. But no trouble snagging a chair in the sun.
It was too nice a day to spend all day indoors ordering my affairs. Nevertheless, I made some real inroads on the tax front.
But, it was warm and sunny out. So, I went out. According to the trusty Pixel Watch, I walked 3 miles. Nowhere special. Just out. Real air. Sun. What’s not to love?
One Month with Pixel Watch.
Speaking of the trusty Pixel Watch. I got it a month ago. It does text messages great. Phone calls are OK. Email – more or less tells you if you need to check your real email. It tracks all my little old lady fitness activities or inactivity nicely. It nags me to get my ass in gear. It watches me sleep. It even notices when I take a nap. It does a mini-ECG. And I haven’t really tried the Maps feature. It connects to Spotify. And I have a really good grandfathered-in deal with Pandora. So, I haven’t used it to play music. OH. And it tells the time! How cool is that?
This paperwork is sucking the life out of me. So, I did a very mature thing. I took a nap.
Think I have a handle on what the new tax-guy will need. I sent the MIA lawyer a firm email, essentially expressing my concerns about our ongoing relationship. Got an autoresponse that she is on vacation.
I have identified a couple of new law firms. Including one that this lawyer was briefly a partner with. Their relationship didn’t work out. But, I recall they used to answer the phone at least.
Who knew that the paperwork involved with old age and ultimate demise was so taxing? Job One for me is to stay alive until this is all sorted out!
And another one hits 80. We have exceeded our best if used by date.
Another one of the gang hits 80. But we are still having fun as you can see.
Okay, now that’s an interesting idea. The Asylum has decided to admit those 55 and older. Most folks don’t move in here until they are well into their 70s or older.
Traffic Jam on New Year’s Eve.
Does anyone really think that a 55-year-old (sound of mind and body) would really move into this place? I hope that 55-year-olds start moving-in in droves. That might kick the joint out of 1952. We seem to be stuck there.
It’s the Year of the Cat in Vietnam.
One of my readers hates cats. Really really extremely hates cats. I waited until she went on a cruise to put this MidJourney image up.
Absolutely nothing good to say about the weather today except that it’s not freezing rain or sleet. It’s just plain old ice cold rain.
So, I spend most of the day making Kawasaki roses. And a couple of boxes to put them in.
Creeping up on getting my affairs in order. And chipping away at stuff for the new tax guy. I am going to treat myself to a trip to somewhere either warm or interesting when this is done.
SO: How about Cairns?
Huge Bats in Cairns
I didn’t spend nearly enough time in Cairns in 2018. They have warm weather, ocean, and big ass bats. Just an idea to keep me sane for another 24 hours.
This old bat is in party mode for the rest of the day. First – Wine “Seminar” AKA drinking. The Birthday Party! I’ll post this now while I am still sober.
Just sort of trying not to completely screw things up today. And that’s about it. Went downstairs to snag a cup of coffee a while ago and someone asked “Well, what have YOU done today?” Didn’t want to truthfully respond, “Absolutely Nothing”. So, I said, “I haven’t killed anyone, YET”.
