life in the old lane

Rumor has it that Apple will bring back the MagSafe power cable to the MacBook. Well, it will not be soon enough for me. Last night I got tangled up in Forbin’s power cable and it went flying. Destroyed the USB C power connector, and did some damage to the space bar and the L key. A new power cable will arrive on Monday. The space bar and L key are a bit more problematic. A new battery is needed, so, when I can get out and about. I’ll take the machine in for service. Maybe the space bar and L key will heal themselves. Or I will learn to punch them much harder.

Today was a shitty weather day. SO, management gave our staff monogrammed ice scrappers. You know, if any boss of mine had given me an ice scraper, I would have used it to scrape his damn ears off.

Gratitude

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Grateful that the only problem that Forbin the Computer has can be solved with the addition of money. All the data are safe and sound.

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I got my friend’s PC back to a brand new Windows 10 PC. With the printer working, the mouse mousing, and MS Office reinstalled. But no data. Set up OneDrive to sync stuff to “the cloud”. Checked another friend’s computer and apparently I had set her machine up to sync to iCloud some time ago. As for me, I use TimeMachine and DropBox.

Mālama Pono

The sun was up this morning before 7AM and it was still shining at 5PM. The days have gotten noticeably longer but it has been too cloudy to notice. Good job, Mr. Sun.

This is my friends Windows10 computer which on March 348, 2020 would do nothing but a Blue Screen of Death. My friend went through all the proper channels and basically got “buy a new computer”. Well, what did she have to lose? We did a clean install of Windows10. And the computer lives. Hoping to be able to get the blue tooth mouse and printer working. And hoping that we can download a copy of MS Office. I am pretty sure she lost all of her data, but she would have lost her data if she had gotten a new computer. I was too frazzled about the edges to do any more than send it off to download 5 years worth of updates. Then I retired to the saloon.

Gratitude

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Grateful that the Asylum Saloon reopened this afternoon.

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friluftsliv – nice walk this noon. And, I made a pot of split pea soup. An all-together busy day.

Mālama Pono

Still no sun. But, the clouds did develop some texture and a few bright spots this afternoon. Hoping to see the sun tomorrow. Then more evil winter weather rolls in on Thursday.

Just realized. This is the time in Kona when I start to get mopey because I will be leaving soon. Well, that’s not going to be a problem this year! Always look on the bright side of life…

Gratitude

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Grateful for avocados. Think I will add one to tonight’s chili.

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Mālama Pono

Weather was good enough for friluftsliv. But, not a single ray of sun.

Sort of gave up on Key West. Lodging is the issue. My passport is dusty. I have even considered buying/leasing a car and going on a road trip. But, it would be cheaper (and safer than me driving) to train it somewhere.

Gratitude

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Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Another adventure that I am grateful to have ticked off before the Covid Era. I am pretty sure that I wouldn’t have made the trek to Mardi Gras again, but still. I like options. Options have been in very short supply of late.

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Work and two exercise classes tomorrow. Also rain. Always look on the bright side of life – The Orange Lord no longer has the nuclear launch codes. He can still launch his goons. But, not the nukes.

Mālama Pono

Ice. I like my ice in the freezer. Or in coffee on a hot summer afternoon. There wasn’t any sun. Not one single ray. 

My new medical evacuation card came yesterday.  Renewing it for the next 12 months was an act of total denial. The only place I am likely to need rescuing from is the damn Asylum.  

I just discovered that Key West, Alexa what’s the temperature in Key West? 81°.  .  . I just discovered that there are nonstop flights from National Airport to Key West “International”. No Covid testing required. OOPS, I just discovered that Key West is pretty well filled up right now. I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Gratitude

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Grateful that lobster mac & cheese was on the Valentine’s Day menu.

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Mālama Pono

This is where I like my snow. Above 8,000 feet in Hawai’i. The weather here is: Freezing rain this evening…then cloudy late. Significant icing likely. Low 28F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 100%.

Gratitude

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Really extremely totally grateful that the power and wifi have remained operational.

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Oh, and I was pleased to confirm the other morning when the wifi that Alexa uses goes out, Alexa can still control the lights. And start the coffee. So, my ZigBee mesh net is good.

Kona and/or Bermuda are starting to look pretty good. Hawai’i is warmer, cheaper, and more friends there. Bermuda is easier to get to, nice springlike weather, slightly foreign feel. Both huge hassles about a Covid test, both have much less Covid than Northern VA. Neither have freezing rain.

Mālama Pono
 

It’s the Year of The Metal Ox. This ox seems to be a Mahjong Ox. In 2018, by sheer great luck and nothing else, I ended up in a hotel on Sidney Harbour during Chinese New Year. It was splendid. 2018 was the Year of The Dog.  But the other 11 animals were still represented. People seemed to take selfies in front of “their” animal. I am a monkey. Does that surprise anyone?

Gratitude

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Once again, grateful that I didn’t put off any of the adventures that I went on since Carlton died. Carpe Diem kids Carpe Diem.

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I am celebrating the New Year by ordering from our “special” takeout menu. And, Alexa just reminded me that I have to go pick it up. It still comes in green plastic boxes in green plastic bags. So, I must wander downstairs and get my scallops.

Coffee Rubbed Scallops. Served with Butternut Squash Risotto & Broccoli. Served in green plastic box. Everything tastes better when properly plated. 

I dined in the living room this evening. I think of my one room as a great variety of rooms. The kitchen, the landing zone, the living room, the dining room, the office, the library, the bedroom, the bathroom (actual room), and the dressing room (AKA closet).  Oh and the yoga studio. At this instant, I am having after-dinner coffee in the library. 

Mālama Pono

I might be looking for the light – but – there is damn little light in a Windows 10 blue screen of death for this old woman. I just googled the error message that flashed on the screen and I think that if I can get to the command prompt I might have a chance at fixing it. My friend has the in-house tech support guy on the case now. He can try the video.

A lazy winter day was on tap. I went for a great long walk up and down the stairs while doing a small load of laundry. I watered my orchids and put all the orchid repotting stuff in a nice plastic box and was just getting ready to go visit with friend, when what should appear but an email from the hospital requesting counts of this and that. Work on getting the numbers. Get the numbers. I am eating lunch, note to reader: Trader Joe’s Pho isn’t very good, when I get a computer 911 call. Blue screen of death.

Gratitude

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Grateful for an unexpectedly if not 100% satisfactory busy day.

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Mālama Pono

Contrails. We missed them after 9/11 and I am glad to see them coming back as we approach one year of Covid time. 

Didn’t do much today. Since “snowy” is the forecast for tomorrow, I forced myself outside for a walk. Messed around with taxes, made a couple of reports for work, read some, and The Asylum wants a framed Photo of you and your love.

So, I spent 30 minutes or so taking a picture of me and my honeybunny.

Mr C and I didn’t do Valentine’s Day. But, we did do coffee. Every afternoon at about 4PM. We stopped doing whatever it was that we were doing.  We made coffee and talked. No TV, no phones, just us. Every serious discussion we had was during coffee time. Serious conversations were started with a joke or one of us saying “Well, what about…”. 

Gratitude

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Grateful for Coffee.

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Oh, and this morning I was taking the composting downstairs and I discovered a huge digital sign.

It’s not nice to mess with old people’s brains like that. 

Mālama Pono

Feeling very tired, old and creaky today. But, wait. I am old. Maybe being tired and creaky is to be expected. Two exercise classes and work. That was it for the day. (Decided not to watch the impeachment live. I needed most of my brain cells to be operating for work.)

On the bright side, work is done for the day. Time for a nice hot shower. Then Zoom with the Asylum Sisters. And I ordered pumpkin pie for dinner. That’s all just pumpkin pie. Carlton’s motto “life is uncertain, eat dessert first”. After that catch up on Impeachment II and off to bed early.

Mālama Pono

A very taxing day today. But, I am now ready to ship my taxes off to the tax guy as soon as 3 more documents arrive.  This pleases me. Not much pleases me these days. 

Did not watch any of the Super Bowl yesterday. First time in 50+ years. But, honestly, I just don’t care. There are a lot of things that I don’t care about. Wonder if that is a sign of aging, Covid fatigue, or just plain old self-centeredness on my part?

Gratitude

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Grateful that one of my brokers was able to get a 1099 fixed for me in a couple of hours. Also grateful for online delivery of said corrected copy. I may give him more business.

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Apparently, I wasn’t the only person who liked the huge snowflakes yesterday. The Washington Post called them Goliath snowflakes.
Mālama Pono

Lots of big fat fluffy snow flying around this morning. But, it amounted to nothing. And now the crows are swooping joyously around. 

Gratitude

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Mac & Cheese for lunch today. And an oatmeal raisin cookie.That is surely something to be grateful for.

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Had in person wine and cheese last evening with 2 friends. (Yes, living dangerously) Absolutely delighted by Sarah who told us all about her new Apple watch. It was a 93rd birthday present. And, at this point in time, no helpful grandkid could come and get it set up. She did it herself. On of my younger friends recently got an Apple watch for her 80th birthday. She is also very happy with it. Take that all you young’uns.

The youngest grand will be going off to University of Vermont in the fall. Couldn’t be happier about her choice. I have already learned that University of Vermont is not UV or UVt but UVM. (Universitas Viridis Montis, or University of the Green Mountains.)

Mālama Pono