life in the old lane

Got my 3rd covid shot today. It wasn’t the great festive occasion that number 1 and 2 was. Sort of like getting a flu shot. But easier. Only .3mL of stuff going into the arm. More than twice that much for the old farts flu vaccine.  Just because I got this shot doesn’t mean that I think it is actually necessary. Sort of covering my ass.

Also turned my bus pass in on a new improved version. This can only be done online or a one office downtown. When you do it online your bus pass is instantly deactivated. If I didn’t happen to have an extra bus pass I would be SOL until a new one arrives. But, I have a backup bus pass. I wonder if most of the bus riders have a backup pass? I could have converted it to a phone version instantly, but, I like the old-school plastic card. Don’t want to be fumbling with my phone when I am trying to get on the bus. 

Just getting little chores done. Sneaking up on going to Kona.

Walking around the grounds this afternoon, I friend introduced me to this fine plant. A Toad Lily. I will go and visit it with the macro lens soon.

New phone arrives tomorrow. 

 

It’s been 7 years. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend. 

GRATITUDE

---

How can I not be grateful for all the good times Carlton and I had. We were so damn lucky.

---

Such a long long time to be gone.
And a short time to be there. 
Grateful Dead Box of Rain.

This picture is why I MUST go to Hawai’i. The sun is marching relentlessly south. Soon it will be behind the east/west wing of my building and it will not come in my windows again until early March.  I have a really hard time without the sun in my room.  For five years I went to Hawai’i on Halloween and returning in early March. Until last winter, I didn’t know that the sun vanished for four months. This year, I will miss almost half of the dark days. That’s a good thing.

Yesterday, Hawai’i announced that visitors should stay away until the first of the year. Well, sorry Hawai’i, I think I am still coming. Of course, if things get really ugly I am outta there.

I took lots of pictures today of “where the hawk was” and “where the buzzard was”. It was a good day for big bird soaring out of my windows. I wasn’t swift enough to get any pictures. Blame it on being old. 

Went back to the old neighborhood to get my old teeth cleaned. Got there early, so I went walkabout. Looking for some sign of fall colors. Never mind how October 2014 turned out. I love October. See October 1, 2014.

This October 1st, I am dealing with a phone that is increasingly prone to seizures. It had two spells today. After the 2nd spell, I ordered a new one. I hoped that it would last until the Pixel 6 came out. It might. But, then again, it might not. And, sorry, but I can not imagine life without a phone. So, I ordered the Pixel 5a. It will be fine. But, the Pixel 6 might have a really killer camera. And, if it does, then I can just trade the 5a in for the 6 Pro. 

Also nursing the MacBook Pro along until the new 14inch MacBook comes out. Losing the MacBook would be inconvenient. But not as bad as losing the phone. I got an HP laptop from the hospital that I have been using for work. 

AND, never mind if the new phone and new computer are “announced”. What with current supply chain issues, who knows when I could actually get one. 

So, I will like my Pixel 5a just fine. Arriving next week. 

It was not such a wonderful day for me. It was a little too exciting.  Everything was going along nicely when a text appears from my boss. “Can we talk about this government report I have to do?” Followed by, “This afternoon”. Seems that the report is due COB today. Well, it was all the brain cells on deck for 5 hours, but with more than a little help from a coworker, the report was submitted at 1738 this evening. I rushed off to dinner where I poured myself a very generous glass of “free” wine. And paired it with a very rare burger with cheese and onion. At least I don’t have to do Suduko to ward off dementia.

Looking forward to my bed. And a nice audiobook. 

I am definitely not the smartest bear in the woods. Hawaii’s covid chart was heaps better when last fall I was too afraid to go. Oh well.  Guess I have gotten stupider over the last 12 months. Or I have too much faith in Pfizer. 

Today was spent doing very little work, and a lot of personal bookkeeping-type stuff. Also went to a committee meeting here at The Asylum just to remind myself that I don’t go to committee meetings. That was an hour out of my life that I will never get back. 

And, this is Fat Bear Week, When all the bears in the land compete to see who the fairest or rather fattest of them all. It is good to be fat going into October if you are a bear. At this time of year, a grizzly will consume about 30,000 calories a day. One hell of a lot of salmon and berries.

Photoshopping is actually better than real shopping. It doesn’t add anything to the clutter in The Old Bat Cave. 

Always glad to have Tuesday out of the way. Barre class at 9 followed by yoga 12 is a bit much for me. But, I don’t want to give either of them up. So, I am resigned to being very tired by Tuesday evening.

Nothing much going on. Getting geared up for a busy October of work with the hospital. With a little time devoted to thinking about going to Kona. It will be different. I will not be able to mail a box of stuff to myself. And, the big box of stuff that I left at the hotel is lost to me. But, for the last couple of years, I have embraced travel minimalism. I know how little stuff I actually need. It will be just fine.

After Carlton retired from corporate life at age 50, we never stayed home in the winter. Winter was for traveling around. And summer was for working in some park or the other.  Park Service legend is that a ranger took one step backward too many and went off the ledge here while giving a ranger talk. I am pretty sure it never happened. (See NPS Memorial Page) But, it’s a good story. 

Now doesn’t that make you feel antique? I remember using AltaVista in the mid90’s and then switching to Google in the 2000-2001 range.  

It’s done. I decided that I didn’t want to spend all winter in my recliner with my heating pad and humidifier running 24/7. 

I ordered up 7 weeks of a tiny dark ground floor apartment. 7 weeks was all that was available. It is close to where I like to swim. It is close to places where I like to eat. It is close to several grocery stores. It has zero view. But, it has a real kitchen and a washer and dryer. 

And, If I hate it, I can always leave. 

Leaving here on Halloween. Returning (?) on Xmas.  

The thing is, things are not going to get back to the way things were in January 2020 any time soon. And, when you get older, your idea of “soon” gets shorter.

A miracle is not going to occur. My hotel in Kona is not going to ever reopen. At least not as my beloved old winter home. A much-loved coffee shop is gone for good. As is a fine pizza place. So, I have to make a new plan for Kona. I have my eye on 3 little studios. None perfect but all within walking distance for the things that I need and want.  They might even have a tiny view of the ocean. I will also have to cut my winter stay from Halloween to Xmas Eve. Because all the spaces are taken starting Dec 25.  If I dawdle too much these choices will vanish too.  My choices are seriously limited by my lack of wheels.

But, I am happy to be planning an escape.

Six years ago today, I moved into The Asylum. That evening I was denied service in the dining room. I was wearing jeans. Well, what else does one wear on moving day? Last night I marched into that damn dining room loud and proud wearing jeans with black suede pumps. (Concession to age – 3-inch heels) 

So, let’s see how things have changed. Besides the “no jeans in the dining room” that is.

The love seat was on order when I moved in. I swapped out my 50-year-old chair and ottoman for an equally old leather recliner that I found in The Asylum’s thrift shop. I bought a mirror – but never got it hung.  And Alexa controls the lights, coffee machine, fan etc. That’s about it.

It’s a great apartment. The location is marginal. My old neighborhood walkability index was 87. Here it is 66. For me that is huge. But, I knew that moving in. And I am safely ensconced in my “forever home”.  Provided the joint doesn’t go broke. 

It was dark and rainy when time to start to work this morning. The first decision: what color do I want my back lights to be. I decided on orange-ish. For the first full day of autumn.

I am working with an old hospital friend again this year to process flu shot data. She collects it in her system and I stuff it into my system. People give flu shots during the work day. My friend is a night person so she collects the data, does some checking and formatting and sends it to me around 10 or 11 PM. I am a morning person so around 6 AM I get myself caffeinated and do a little more checking and formatting and I upload the data to my system. It works great. Neither feels rushed. Neither are forced to wait on the other. This is WFH at it’s best. On the other hand, it would be nice if everything were interoperable. Then I would be out of a job.

Earlier in the month I was moping around about missing Kona again this year. I went to look at the Mauna Kea Observatory camera. Just happened to hit them at sunrise on a fine morning.

Sometimes technology is grand.