life in the old lane

The anemones have bloomed. I love these things. They are easy to photograph and huge fun to post-process. They are sort of the autumn version of the magnolia. But they are easier to reach. And easier to photograph.

I needed some fun this afternoon. Work exhausted me this week. I finished my task. And, don’t really need to spring back into action until next week. The “new improved” flu shot nagging system will be demo tested on Thursday. My job is to get the data from the new system into the old system.

My plans for the “long weekend” include a walk tomorrow morning to Trader Joe. Mostly for exercise. That’s a 2-mile round trip.  I need to get away from the computer. And I need some exercise. Never mind that I am currently exhausted. And, I have several projects for The Asylum underway – so I will be getting plenty of time behind my computer editing video. Maybe I should take an online video editing course? No, I don’t think so. I got this far with “whatever happens is what I planned”. Why change now?

Gratitude

---

Grateful that my brain and body still work well enough to do all the stuff I ask it to do. Nevermind that the body gets tired, the eyes give out, and the brain is sometimes MIA.

---

This afternoon’s walkabout with the camera captured a honey bee hard at work.

Mālama pono

I knew that today was going to be busy. So I headed out on my fitness walk early. Caught the sunrise over the strip mall.

I spent the next 8 hours slaving over a hot spreadsheet trying to get some data clean enough to feed into “my” system at the hospital. The MacBook Pro balked at a 20,000+  row spreadsheet. But, with much patience and a few well-positioned F-words, I think the data are good to upload tomorrow.

Then after I was totally exhausted, I had an appointment to record operations in one of our kitchens. What I didn’t know was that they wanted me to interview the cooks and our executive chef. This was not a good idea. Especially to not tell me that is what was wanted. Not only was I totally unprepared, but I have an absolutely terrible grating voice. I have a voice that was just made for silent movies. But hey. They get what they pay for!

Gratitude

---

Many mornings, I see a nice homeless woman on my walk. But by grace, she could be me. Or rather a younger me. You don’t make it to my age on the street.

---

Mālama pono

New neighbors on my floor took delivery of a 28 bottle VinoView Wine Cellar this morning. My floor understands what it takes to get through 2020.

Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change. – Mary Shelly via Victor Frankenstein

That about sums up 2020 for me.

The display came in two big beautiful boxes. I love boxes. Big boxes. Little boxes. Fancy boxes. Plain old cardboard cartons. I must be part house cat. But, I took them to the trash room. Yes, what if I need to send the monitor back if it dies next week? Well, I am just screwed.

Gratitude

---

Grateful to Lord Sandwich. Not only for the Sandwich Islands – but for sandwiches. Carlton adored sandwiches. When he knew that he was in the end game, he said that he would be happy if we had sandwiches for lunch and dinner every day. And we did for about 6 months. Tonight I was going to make a ham and cheese omelet and avocado toast. Suddenly taken lazy and had a ham, cheese, and avocado sandwich instead.

---

So far with the new display, I just ran my desk chair up to max height.

Mālama pono

I was ready for my new display at first light. Needless to say, it didn’t arrive until after noontime zoom yoga.

The box must have weighed 25 pounds. But, I wasn’t about to wait one more minute and have someone deliver it to me.

There were no directions. But fortunately, none were needed. The hardest part was getting the display attached to the stand.  I knew that it was going to be about 6 inches too high. And it is.  I will either elevate my workspace or get a nice VESA mount for the wall or desk. I could also remove the top tier of my desk. But, that is a nonstarter right now.  The VESA mount seems to be the best plan.

Gratitude

---

Grateful that the display setup was easy enough for an old woman to do.

---

This charming table is in my elevator lobby. Adorned with a fake plant, a sad actual plant, a strange little dust collector topped off with a motel print. The only good thing is the pair of red outlets. That means that they are on the generator and we can charge our devices when the power fails.

I will now publish this and check out the blog on the big screen.

Mālama pono

Spent the entire day doing computer stuff. Except for an hour break in the morning to talk story with friends and  30 minutes in the afternoon for yoga. I didn’t spend much time making the sunrise video. GoPro did all the work and even provided an interesting fisheye frame for the shot.

The challenge was one that I made for The Asylum out of old photos salvaged from a Powerpoint file.

This one has nothing to commend it unless you live here. But, it is worth skimming down to about the last minute. You might be surprised at how this party of old people many in wheelchairs ended.

Tomorrow I am going to go and make a new “commissioned” video. Using my GoPro. How did I become a videographer and editor when I am well into my dotage?

Also on tap tomorrow is doing some real work and taking delivery on my big ass new display. I really get along fine with the iPad as a second screen. But, I just want not need a 23-inch display.  The last time I actually had an external display must have been over 20 years ago. We called them “CRTs”. Chalk this purchase up to retail therapy. And a little fear that we might not be able to get electronics from China. And for damn sure no one in the US knows how to manufacture an LCD display.

Gratitude

---

Grateful to have survived another month. I really would like a refund on 2020. I haven’t gotten much good out of it!

---

Mālama pono

I like hot humid hazy summer weather. However, by late August or early September, I am totally over it. Mother Nature takes pity and sometime around Labor Day she delivers a perfect day. Bright blue sky. Low humidity. Gentle breeze. And, reasonable temperature. That day was today. It is a harbinger of 6 or more glorious weeks of autumn. This year autumn will have to contend with COVID and politics. But, it is windows open season.

My eyes glaze over and I don’t see stuff. Stuff like this:

This is our main/front door. What are those things on either side of the door? And why are they there? Do they “add” any value?

On closer inspection, they are four identical “Punch and Judy” show plates. This one is festooned with its own personal cobweb.

I am planning on a busy week on the computer. My desktop has become an embarrassment. What if I die suddenly and someone finds it looking like this:

And that was my “decluttering” for the day. Actually, the week. Well, the month.

Gratitude

---

Grateful for this grand and glorious hint of autumn day.

---

Mālama pono

This is Gingerbread, my not so imaginary pet giraffe.  The sun came out late this after noon.

Lost in old photos today. Other people’s old photos. It rained most of the day. So, it was good to have a project. But , at this instant… I am tired of photos. Even my photos. And I am pretty tired of my computer too.

Gratitude

---

Grateful to have my windows open tonight.

---

Going to make a cup of coffee and take my eyes and brain off line. Audiobook time.

Mālama pono

Enjoying a big storm this evening. Running the Mac off battery because I don’t want it to get fried. Also, have all the lights turned off because I hate having the power come back on in the middle of the night and silly me didn’t get all the lights turned off. So I am in the dark.

Speaking of lights. I have a tiny apartment. I do not need smart plugs, switches, and Phillips Hue bulbs. But I want them. Since I get pretty decent “hotel” wifi from The Asylum I can not really do this. But, I am thinking that just maybe the Alexa that has a built-in ZigBee hub might just work.  Or I could just spring for FIOS. If I get stuck here this winter, I will play with trying to get at least two smart plugs to work. One for the coffee and another for my fan. How much controls can you do with less than 600 sq ft?

This is the realtime lightning map. You can find it at https://www.lightningmaps.org/   It makes any thunderstorm more enjoyable. Check it out. See if it covers your area.  I live at the blue dot.

Just another new normal day. COVID made an ominous uptick in our neighborhood today. But, one day does not a trend make. Hopefully, it is just a blip. Two of our staff members failed their bi-weekly COVID tests. It really isn’t rushing back to the way it was is August 2019.

But, Sex on the Beach was the Friday Special at our friendly in-house saloon.  What’s not to love?

Gratitude

---

Grateful for Elizabeth, my housekeeper. She comes in on Friday morning and makes everything all clean. And all I have to do is stay out of the way and say “thank you”.

---

The storm seems to have passed for now. And the power stayed on. So, I can have a coffee.

Mālama pono

My floor still knows how to get through a crisis – this morning there was an empty $150 champagne magnum in our glass recycling.

Mostly today just happened. I did a lot of socially distant socializing. Even an independent soul like myself is feeling a little isolated these days. I haven’t a clue how those who are very social are dealing with things.

Gratitude

---

Grateful for a friend who invited some of us to enjoy the early evening on her lovely terrace. I was only a little jealous.

---

I need some “supplies” stuff that I would have normally walked over to the strip mall to get. Most likely at the grocery. Things like Tylenol, dishwasher soap, plastic wrap. Not food. But “supplies”. Did I walk to the store? Nope. I went online and ordered curbside pick up from the grocery. And, at 8:00 tomorrow morning, I will wander over to the grocery and pick up my stuff. It is easier than wandering around a large store looking for stuff. And, I don’t have to personally inspect the Tylenol bottle or the plastic wrap box. And, it is actually cheaper. Because I will not be seduced by the store end cap displays and stuff waiting to tempt me near check out. It really wasn’t a Covid decision. It was an it is easier this way decision.

Mālama pono

The Iron Lady is ready to do battle. (She is a rather scary lifesize image of every kid who grew up in the 50’s Mother. Her hair is in rollers and she wears sensible shoes.)

Management provided festive ice cream novelties this afternoon. I can not eat chocolate ice cream while wearing a white dress. Even one that will catch the next bus to Goodwill.

My tit looks lumpy because I put a camera battery in my bra – this dress being sans-pockets. My friend Sarah, who is 90 something looks much more put together in her whites.

While dressing, I remembered that when we were in Skagway, Carlton was asked to speak at the Suffrage Rally. He was asked to be the opposition. The man loved it. He spent 4 or 5 evenings preparing.

This was at about 5:30 in the evening, after work, after the cruise ships left, after they rolled up the sidewalk. We loved Skagway. But, we were only there from early May until late September.

Gratitude

---

Grateful for good memories and the ability to recall them.

---

But, COVID isn’t far away. Another empty store. This used to be a little independent pizza place. Not fancy. But, I am sure that it provided a living for an extended family.

Mālama pono

Today’s outdoor musical amusement was Bumper Jacksons,  a rather eclectic musical duo. The washboard was one of their instruments. It provided a fine “whatever happens is what I planned” photo.

I am tired tonight. Tired of being old. Tired of Covid. Tired of the hate and discontent that is rampant in the US. Glad that Carlton missed this.

Gratitude

---

Grateful to be watching the gathering thunderstorm storm from my cozy dry Old Bat Cave.

---

The Asylum is trying to return to “normal”. And in “normal” times the little bus took those who do not drive, walk or use public transit to the grocery store, Target etc. a couple of times a week. It started back up early in August. But, it only takes people to the grocery during “safe times”. It leaves at 5:45 AM. Except it has never left. Because no one has shown up at 5:45 AM to go to the grocery store.

Mālama pono

My friend, Ellie’s zinnias. This spring no one could go to the garden store to get plants. But some kind souls started zinnia seeds in their apartments. So, we are awash in cheerful zinnias this summer.

Gratitude

---

Grateful for a day FILLED with real in person socially distanced masked people.

---

Here at The Asylum, we are all trying really hard to ensure that we will be able to vote in the upcoming election.

(I wish my dinner would show up so I can complain about it! I am hungry already.  I had a killer-good typist decades ago and she always said when you are on a diet being hungry is a good thing, because that was a sign that the diet was working.  I lost about 5 pounds since June 22 when my shorts sounded the alarm.)

Mālama pono