life in the old lane

Honor the old folks who were making good trouble. Watch in full screen. Thanks! — Your Elderly Photographer.

And the seditious old folks at The Asylum organized a fine No Kings Rally.

I am too tired of my 300+ photos and my computer to do any more tonight.Down from 313 to 63. Aiming for 55 before I start a slide show. People will only watch for so long.

But, here are some rushes.

 

Most of the day was spent figuring out how to make origami lantern flies. And, I worked on a very complicated minimalist packing list for my upcoming 17,693-mile misadventure. Going from fall to tropical to winter. Must fit into my 25-liter backpack. And not weigh more than 15 pounds. 

But, it was too nice to stay indoors. So, my trees from the street.

At this instant, I am in my bed. Which is now in cozy winter mode. I wonder what will happen when I get too old and decrepit to wash the summer stuff and put it in the trunk and get the winter stuff out. You think about these things as you slump gracefully toward decrepitude.

Remember this wonderful entrée from last night’s menu?

Well here it is.

I took one for the team and ordered it. The server clearly pitied me and added a hefty serving of salmon, as if to apologize on behalf of the kitchen.

So I asked ChatGPT about it, and this was the verdict:

Oh, yes — “Creamy Yucca with coconut, lima beans, and crispy kale” sounds like something dreamed up by a chef who’s never actually eaten it.

Even if they meant yuca (cassava), that combo’s still suspicious: you’ve got a heavy starchy root mixed with lima beans (more starch) and coconut (fat), then topped with crispy kale (token virtue). It’s a confused dish — part Caribbean, part vegan café experiment.

If it really is yucca (the spiky landscaping plant), well, then the menu might literally be inedible.

That’s not dinner. That’s a dare.

I wish I could take credit — but nope — that came from The Robot.

Busy day for an old woman.
Did my semi-annual fridge cleaning, washed the summer bedding, and deployed the winter set. Also spent some time on Bat Duty for The Asylum.

Looks like my window needs washing. But, that’s not something I can do. So, I’ll just admire the orchid. 

And dear reader. This is the lead item on tonight’s menu.

They didn’t even spell yuca correctly.

“Yuca” is a starchy root vegetable, also called cassava.
“Yucca” is an ornamental plant with spiky leaves.
They are two entirely different plants. — Google, ever helpful.

I wish I could say the rest of the menu was better.

Nice nice day today.

Every year, I keep an eye on these three maples outside my window. I’m leaving five days earlier than usual this year, so I wonder if I’ll get to see them in full red glory.

Went for a walk with a 60-something friend this afternoon and found this hopeful sign along the way:

Meanwhile, back at the Asylum.

Think the weather will be in the 60s and cloudy for the Asylum Residents’ Protest. I want to go downtown to the hopefully HUGE protest. But, I think I’ll stay here and support the home team and maybe produce another video that can be sent to friends and family to show that we ain’t dead yet.

Thinking about getting ready for the trip. Well, how ready do I have to be?

Essentials:

• • • passport
    • credit card and debit card
    • glasses
    • prescription drugs
    • phone
    • phone charger
    • Nice to have – iPad (it uses the phone charger)
    • Even nicer to have for 2-month trip – MacBook and charger. 

Honestly, that’s all I really need. Everything can be acquired as needed. Jack Reacher Style. I plan to send everything except this list and a pair of granny panties, and a pair of compression socks home from Kona. Making the trip to Tokyo ultra-light. 

Time to work on gratitude. 

1. 1. Grateful that I made it to and survived yoga class.
   2. Grateful that Uber got me to yoga on time with no hassle.
   3. Grateful for the 52 Art bus that took me to the dentist
   4. Grateful the dentist and hygienist couldn’t find anything that needed fixing.
   5. Grateful for the Metro buses that delivered me home.
   6. I can’t remember the new route numbers, so I’m really grateful I got on the right ones.
   7. Grateful I can walk up to my apartment when 3 out of 4 elevators are on strike.

   I consider this stage of my life a bonus round. I no longer contribute to society. If the grid fails tomorrow, I’ll not be one of the survivors. I am grateful for today.

   

   That’s a block from the building Carlton and I lived in for 5 years. It’s right by my dentist. And the building in the photo is an old folks’ home that I would be living in, except it’s a condo. And I don’t do condos. 

   Grateful that I think I can still pull off this ridiculous 17,693-mile, two-month adventure.

   

Nothing to report.

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“In a country where ordinary citizens had the courage to give their lives to bring down a plane headed for mass tragedy (Flight 93), it’s inconceivable that elected Republicans cannot summon the courage to challenge an out-of-control president.”
— Seen online, origin unknown

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That about sums it up for me. Well, maybe there’s more:

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“The 400 richest Americans are now worth a record $6.6 trillion.
The entire bottom 50% of America is worth just $4.2 trillion.
Read that back.
When 400 people control more wealth than half a country’s population, we have a very serious problem.”
— Robert Reich

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Pretty lazy day — letting other people do my thinking for me. I’ll try to do better tomorrow.

But instead of staying in my comfy chair, I walked over to REI and bought something that Amazon would’ve delivered for less tomorrow. Because — it matters. Or at least, I hope it matters.

Busy day tomorrow, so I gave myself the afternoon off. According to an email, half of our elevators did the same. So I took a nap.

Any good news? I didn’t kill anyone today. And I only bought what I went for at REI. That’s restraint. Hard-earned restraint. But at 80-something, there’s not much I actually need from REI — except single-serve pour-over coffee.

My walk today included peeking into a store that has blown right past all the fall holidays and gone full-on Trumpy Christmas already.

That little display reminded me — I might want to get my act together for the westward trek. I leave October 27, I think.

I keep dithering about how to get back from Tokyo. I consulted ChatGPT and got this advice:

Sometimes the smartest move for the return leg is to make it as simple and gentle as possible:
• one flight,
• in the pointy end of the plane,
• straight back to your comfy chair at GHBC by dinnertime on Christmas Day.

So, I did it. Booked a very boring flight from Tokyo to Dulles — arriving an hour before I leave. Now all that’s left is a ticket to Honolulu and a night at “my” Honolulu airport hotel.

⸻

Alaska Trip Report (YWCA Hotel, Vancouver)

1. Glad I went.
2. Still convinced I’d hate a round-the-world cruise.
3. The last day of any trip is a drag — nothing new there.
4. ChatGPT helps with planning. Trust but verify.
5. I can still plan and execute a trip without ChatGPT.
6. I don’t have as much energy as before I got old. Need more downtime.
7. Better pacing this time — but didn’t like it.
8. Two bottoms, four tops, enough layers for warmth. Allbirds high tops good; Allbird slip-ons bad. (Remember that fall.)
9. I could probably go to Antarctica, but a medical emergency would turn the ship around. I’d rather not be that passenger.
10. I finally know why I chafe at  The Asylum: it removes all risk. It’s “safe,” but I don’t want to be taken care of.

⸻

Just tired today. Finished the little computer project for my friend, took a couple-mile walk off-Asylum, and made some chili — because it’s definitely autumny.

Two weeks from Monday, I’ll be on my way to warmer climes. All new digs in Kona, a bit farther from “my” usual places. Change is good. Right? Well, good or bad, it’s happening.

Lots of protests next Saturday. I don’t think having my sorry ass on the street will change much. Pretty sure Bezos hasn’t noticed my canceled Post subscription or my boycott of Amazon. But if I do nothing except complain, then I’m no better than MAGA.

Captured my last DC moonrise of the year with my brick, book of Robert Service Poems, and telephone.

Today I did everything except wipe the hard drive on my friend’s late husband’s old MacBook. He was a journalist for 40+ years. Google his name and you’ll get pages of hits. (Google mine or Carlton’s and you get zip.) His life’s work is sort of still in that machine. Wiping it feels like erasing part of a life. I’m pretty sure I’ve got everything backed up, in multiple places, but you never really know where data hides. There’s always another cloud.

Note to self: Make sure people can find what they need from your computer after you die.

Note to those left behind: Anything important is in Dropbox. And not much is important. Just delete all my photos — I am not Ansel Adams, and I know it. And please, don’t judge me by my Kindle library.

All the while lamenting my lack of a 7K Leica Q3, I shot the moon again last evening. One really needs a tripod. No longer own such a thing. So, I used a brick, a book of Robert Service poetry, and my Pixel 8 Phone.

And today I set about setting my life back in order after the cruise and the last-minute craft sale activity. 

Took a nice long walk in the “woods”. Last year, I ran into some deer in this spot. Not this time. But long walks are good. I’ll try to get more walks in before heading to Kona. 

When I came back from dinner last night, I thought I saw fireworks to the east. But the clouds shifted, and a fat orange moon appeared for a few minutes. I made the best shot I could with the gear I have. My phone.

Back in my comfy chair, what should appear but an ad for a $7,000 point-and-shoot camera. Fixed 28mm lens. Sweet machine, sure, but not much better than my phone for moon shots. Still, a camera that can’t doomscroll might be worth the price.

Gratitude

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Grateful to everyone who supported the 11th Floor Origami Dojo.
ありがとうございます

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The craft sale wasn’t exactly mobbed — at least, not at our table — but we’re pleased. We made a respectable pile for the Foundation and even sold our table decorations. And we are not doing this again. It’s important to know when to fold ’em