life in the old lane

Wild child garden box was not shoveled out, but, I tromped over and checked it out. Really cold weather is scheduled for late next week. If it happens, Ray the Rosemary bush might not make it. Nobody is promised tomorrow. Not even plants.

Studied up some more on Data and Defeat – How FICINT Can Prepare You For Future Conflict. 10 AM tomorrow. Just hope that my housekeeper in and out on time. The other person on the panel is a former member of the Joint Chiefs (USAF). That is seriously out of my league.  Guess I shouldn’t wear my Captain Marvel T-Shirt. Or any t-shirt for that matter.  Well, maybe my Arpanet t-shirt? NO, be a grown-up. 

Years, decades, ago, I was writing code for a simulation of “Total Global Nuclear War”. I was young and worried about things like “what if our assumptions are wrong”? My boss said; “In the event of a nuclear war our assumptions will not matter because we will be dead and if there isn’t a nuclear war they still won’t matter. So, shut up and write code.” 

Gratitude

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Grateful for a wonderful long sunny winter warm walk this afternoon. Even sat in the sun for 15minutes.

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Mālama Pono

 

It is starting to look a bit more promising outside. Even made it out for a real walk.  Also detailed my toys. Q-tips, isopropyl alcohol,  microfiber cloth, etc. I was never a believer in canned air. Figured it could just a well blow crap in as well as out. And, I cleaned out my spice and condiment shelf. And, obviously, I decided not to stop doing the blog. Just because it isn’t interesting. Because I am not interesting. There isn’t anything more boring than an old woman who has been on house arrest for eleven months. 

Gratitude

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Grateful to have DINNER PLANS. Some of the Asylum Sisters are getting takeout from 5-Guys and we are going to meet and eat together. We did it at Thanksgiving. (I am not a fan of takeout burgers and fries – so I will greenbag it.)

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Mālama Pono

It’s not Groundhog Day, it’s Groundhog Year. 

The workday didn’t end gracefully today. But, everything was successfully wrapped up. Today was very busy. Work, zoom yoga, in-person barre class. None of that on the agenda for tomorrow. So, I wonder what to do. 

You know what I really need? I need to have all of my electronic gear detailed. Everything has gotten downright grubby. Forbin the Mac Book Pro, the Kindle, both iPads, and Shamu the Phone. All pig dirty. Maybe that’s what I’ll do tomorrow. Clean all the gear. Too bad I can not just pop it all in the dishwasher!

Gratitude

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The gratitude section has been going on for over a year now. Is it time to stop? I don’t know.
Grateful for a nice cozy little apartment. A maintenance-free apartment.

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Is it time to stop the whole blog thing? It is coming up on 20 years.

Mālama Pono

Looking for my friend Paul’s light. When I am in my comfy chair, I can see sky out my “living room” windows and out my “bedroom” window I can Paul’s living room window and lamp. Everyone else keeps their blinds down. It makes me happy to see his light on and know that I am not the only person left in the Asylum. After almost a year of this shit, it doesn’t take much to make me happy.

I am supposed to be on a panel to ask questions of a speaker on Friday morning. I would normally say “I don’t do that anymore.” But, the guy who was in charge seemed to be rather desperate. The topic is: Data and Defeat – How FICINT Can Prepare You For Future Conflict. Now, seriously folks, this is an Asylum for the Aged. Think I am going to need to take my game to the next level to even stay awake during the thing. 

Gratitude

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Grateful for slightly longer days.

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Today’s weather was a repeat of yesterday’s. More little icy snow. And gray. Plus cold.

Mālama Pono

OK, today was different. It snowed. Not great wonderful fluffy flakey snow. More small gritty snow. Only a couple of inches I am guessing. But the kids across the street, who are blessed with an outstanding sledding hill enjoyed every last flake. That’s another of my handheld 600mm images. Through the double-pane window. 

Trying to accept the fact the this is not the end of the pandemic. Or even the beginning of the end. It might be more like the middle. And, that really sucks. It’s like being pecked to death by ducks. 

Gratitude

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Grateful for that wonderful feeling I get when getting into my bed, snuggling down into the covers.

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I also love saying “Computer, Goodnight”. All the lights get turned off. As does the coffee pot and heating pad if they were left on and a couple of the lights go into gradual dim out mode. She who dies with the most toys wins!

Mālama Pono

The day got off to a nice sunny start. It was sunny all day. I even braved the frigid weather for a nice walk. I don’t actually have winter clothes. So, I just wear a lot of layers. Been getting alerts on the phone etc about “Winter Storm” coming tomorrow. Or is it tonight?
Anyhow – after getting this on your phone:

It takes more than a “winter weather” warning to get my attention.

Pau hana – that’s Hawaiian pidgin for “Miller time”. Finished up my work (except for shipping the data off) until Tuesday. I finished up noonish and celebrated with a walk in the cold and a nap followed by another nap. Think I’ll package up my data and send it off in case this “winter storm” takes out the power. Maybe I’ll charge up all the toys. That is kinda my version of running to the store to buy toilet paper and milk.

Gratitude

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Grateful to be an old woman. I for sure never intended to be old. I am from the sex, drugs, and rock and roll don’t trust anyone over thirty crowd. And here I am. I still have rock and roll.

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Mālama Pono

Took a much-needed break from wrangling data to go to a wine pairing. Whatever that is. It involved booze, cheese, and other people. One real-life person and some zoom people. All good. Regular readers will recall that the last time I went I was almost too drunk to walk home. This time, moderation prevailed.

Serious data wrangling will be over at noon tomorrow.

Still hand holding my 600mm lens looking out double pane glass. the one on the right is the real moon.

Gratitude

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Grateful for sheep who give us wool sox. Grateful for the occasional “wine pairing” too.

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Preview of coming attractions. This does not look good.

Mālama Pono

Not my brightest photography idea ever. 600mm, handheld with old shakey hands, through double pane glass. But, last night I was really happy to see the Wolf Moon peeking out from the clouds. I will try a little harder tonight. When the Wolf Moon will be full.

Yesterday, work was long and tedious. Everything is going smooth as glass today. So far. Three more hours to go. The last hour is really hard for the nurses, that is when they have to find takers for their doses that have to be used up. No one wants to waste a single dose. By next Monday night, we will be out of the mass vaccination business because we will be out of vaccine. And there is no more on the horizon. The hospital had to cancel some 10,000 appointments for vaccinations. Now we are sort of wondering if these vaccines will really work against the new-improved Covid virus.

Anyhow, glad for a light day. Looking forward to toddling off to bed with coffee and chocolate and an audiobook as soon as they give the last shots sometime after 8PM tonight.

Gratitude

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Grateful that I could do something more than wash my hands, wear a mask, and socially distance in the Covid Wars.

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Mālama Pono

Too busy working today to be grumpy. That’s a good thing.

I didn’t get outside but a little bit today. But, it was better than yesterday. The sun actually came out.

Gratitude

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Grateful that my commute home from work will only be 15 feet. Some advantages to WFH.

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Mālama Pono

That’s today’s view out the windows. I did not venture out. Did barre and yoga classes this morning before starting to work at 1PM. I am savoring this last week of constant work. It is saving what little is left of my sanity.

Yesterday’s propaganda memo concluded with: 
We have all learned so much about new ways to live, thrive and stay safe this past year. Our commitment to you is that Goodwin House will build on these new levels of safety for your health and wellness going forward, and we will retain the new ways of engagement as we restore the old ways to enable the highest levels of participation and connection with family and friends.

Well, I don’t want that anymore. I want to be responsible for myself. I don’t want to “stay safe” anymore.  Well actually, I do want to be safe. But, I want to decide for myself what is “safe” for me. I never liked anyone telling me what to do. Just ask my husbands. Or my mother. Or my bosses. Or my teachers. 

Today I realized that if I do what I think is “safe” I might die. On the other hand, if I do what management decides is safe for me I might die. The destination is the same. The journey is different. And no one gets out of the Asylum alive anyhow.

I am having an increasingly difficult time reconciling living in the Asylum and living a real life.  Real-life.  You know. riding the bus. going to trader joes. getting your teeth cleaned w/o punitive quarantine. maybe going to the actual office. 

But, my friends live here. Do friends surpass self-determination? Of course, they do. Get a grip, old girl. Get a grip.

Gratitude

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Time to round up my “universal covid gratitude list”. (I haven’t needed my universal trip list in a very long time.)
The weather is great.
Biden is in the White House.
My health is good.
I have had 2 Covid vaccines.
My weight is under control.
I have a nice cozy apartment.
I have lots of Kindle books to read.
And audiobooks to listen to.
There are lots of online resources that I have yet to tap into.
I have friends. Good friends. 

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So I will try to follow the rules. At least some of them. Some of the time  Just for today.
Mālama Pono

Did most of my walk in the passageways today. One of the floors collects all of their green boxes on an altar. Complete with candles. On my floor, we put them outside our door.

There is no light today. Several of my resident friends are seriously ill with Covid. It is gray, cold, damp, etc. And, I am busy wrangling data. We just got a two-page propaganda email from management. Telling the inmates that nothing is going to change anytime soon. Once again thinking about decamping.

Gratitude

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Grateful to have lived the best part of my life before this COVID crap.

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Mālama Pono

The thing is, it is easier to find the light if you go outside. Nevermind that it is gray and below freezing.

Have 6 days of work ahead of me. So, I got everything as tidy as possible and my spreadsheet and I will be ready to spring into action packaging up data to send to the state. Actually the commonwealth. What’s the difference between a state and a commonwealth anyhow? I doubt that it matters. According to Google, so it must be true, there is no difference. 

At the end of the week my hospital will be out of the mass Covid vaccination business. Maybe completely out of the covid vaccination business. We were doing a good job. But, the commonwealth decided to stop giving vaccine to hospitals. It will all go the counties now. Glad I got my two shots. Lots of people had appointments to get vaccinated by the hospital and we had to tell them their appointments were cancelled. It doesn’t make much sense. We have pharmacists, nurses, med techs, a reservation system that works, a -100 degree freezer. Not my circus, not my monkeys. 

Gratitude

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Oranges! I love oranges.

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This is not an acceptable temperature.

Mālama Pono