life in the old lane

So, what seems to be my problem? Things didn’t work out 100% like I planned. So – get over it and get on with life.

On my way to work, I pass the poison ivy. It is encroaching seriously on the sidewalk. Of course, I am just glad that there is a sidewalk. 

But, there was a monarch butterfly. 

And more joy. I got my appointment for my stress test. Only have to be caffeine-free for 4 hours, I can do that!

And yet more good stuff. I got new bluetooth earbuds.  Took a chance on BeatsX since BH Photo had them on sale and I had a bunch of “points” so they ended up being cheap. Normally I hate Dr Dre -but the bass on these are fine. They are really comfortable. And they pair with all the Mac stuff – natch and with Shamu the Phone as well. I am sure I like them better than the Apple ones. 

Was even less successful shooting bees in flight this afternoon. No bees in sight. Only a couple of hover flies.

And what is unremarkable? My visit to the boy-cardiologist. He still wants to do a stress test. But, he says as long as I can walk up the stairs to my office – which is one floor above his – and have breath left to say “damn” then I am OK. He gets points for not wanting to monkey with my BP meds or to insist on cholesterol or other testing. He says I just have coronary artery spams and since I have had them for years – not to worry.  So, I am not going to worry.

Hope I ace my stress test. Maybe I should start training in the Asylum gym. But seriously, I think you have to be caffeine  free for 24 hours. Me, sans caffeine 24 hours – not pretty. 

Love the 41 bus. The drivers are nice and the passengers are usually happy. 

I can not believe he is gone. Anthony Scaramucci. My favorite – so far – member of the Orange Lord’s retinue. Dead and buried 16 days before he officially started his job. Maybe the shortest tenure ever. Minus 16 days.

And now an oldie from my vault:
A Shakespearean Insult Generator, Check it out —  thou tongueless dismal-dreaming clack-dish! Seems like a good way to remember The Mooch.

Went out for a little today to shoot bees in flight. It is basically a matter of luck and I wasn’t having much. But, it was a lovely day.

A lovely day that I spent trying to get my new personal finance software “working”. Since I moved over to the land of Mac in 2009 – I have been fighting with Mac finance software. It basically sucks and at least once a year gets something mixed up that is impossible to fix. Last week it went cuckoo and got itself and me lock out of one of my accounts. 

That was it. Out it went. And in come Quicken for Mac – which isn’t so hot shit either. Of course, I started out by having it import all of 4,000+ transactions from the old messed up software. Needless to say – Quicken started out messed up. 

But, this is a first class problem. I just want to get this all sorted out while I still have the brain power to do it. 

The sun was setting on the other side of the building – nicely lighting up some of the “important” views out the Old Bat windows.

I don’t think that the construction crane is going to build anything that will obstruct any of “my” views. 

And, now I am tired. Like Lincoln – the only president greater than the Orange Lord (according to the Orange Lord) – like Lincoln asked of McClellan “Will you pardon me for asking what the horses of your army have done since the battle of Antietam that fatigue anything?”

I can only ask: “What have I done since yesterday that would fatigue anything?”

The promised rains arrived. And it shows no signs of abating.

Note to concerned citizens of the US: Congress and the White House is in total disarray. The phrase “circular firing squad” comes to mind.

Note of our enemies, foreign and domestic: This would be a great time for an attack. But wait, you don’t have to attack… we’ll dismember the country for you.

We got a new executive chef this last week. This week Jello  disappeared from the salad bar. Bet it is back by this time next week.

I think it is a European Paper Wasp. I am never 100% sure about yellow stripe wasps. 

Took the day off work today to attend to Asylum business. Worked on processing some images for the videos. I still haven’t seen the video on the final display machine(s). It looks fine on my phone, iPad and computer. Not so sure about how it will look on the big HD screen.

“They” are predicting epic rain starting tomorrow “afternoon”. I plan to be safely back in the Old Bat Cave  by 12:30. 

Little wrinkle appeared in the Little Old Ladies Eclipse Trip. The tri-state area (VA, KY, TN) is all stuffed when we will be trying to spend the night. Not stuffed with eclipse chasers – but with NASCAR fans. Who knew? It is a little scary. The NRA 500. Now, I believe that NASCAR is just an excuse to drink beer out doors. Add the 2nd Amendment crowd to that – and that spells trouble. Stay tuned.

Oh, I got on the elevator after dinner and a 3 star gets on. Damn he was young.Wearing BDUs. Doubt that they would let him in the “formal” dining room – unless they noticed his stars. He was visiting his father-in-law

Another pretty near perfect summer day. 

Except for the Orange Lord. My resolve to just ignore the bastard failed today. His sliminess oozed out of the mental toxic waste container that I was using to contain him.

Today, I doubt that the country will survive. 

But on to something cheerful. APHIDS.

They look like little Pokémon characters. 

1274 days until Wednesday January 20, 2021 

It was a very fine day. Cool (for summer). Low humidity (for DC). Just about as good as it gets. 

As for me: work, yoga, lunch at hospital, home, rest, meeting at Asylum, dinner with friends, talkstory with friends on the Asylum patio. Now, time to kick back and get ready to do it again tomorrow.

Last night I started listening to Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire. I have read it. Required reading at all but the cannonball National Parks. It lives in my Kindle. But, I have never listened to it.  It is like sitting on the porch of an NPS dwelling with a six pack – and Ed is telling his story.

An ice cream truck is visiting the complex across the street and started out with “You are my sunshine…” Which is sweet because my 90 something across the hall neighbor, Sunshine, died last night. She had been in failing health ever since I moved in – she has lived here a very long time and was much loved by the old timers – staff and resident alike. She was always nice to me and for some reason put a card I sent her from Hawai’i on her door.

Rainbow today. And, a fine insect as well.

This is a pretty good size wasp. Wing span of 15mm or so. And, they sting. Even the males. Males don’t have any venom – but they still have an impressive stinger which will get your attention. 

Work. Nap. Bug hunt. Tweak the new computer. Thats about it for the day. Final trick was getting a stupid little “timer app” moved over to the new machine. I have used it for 10 years. I just like it. Of course it is no longer supported or available from any site that I would trust. It might be available from a non-US App Store. I considered firing up my VPN and running my internet through somewhere in Europe – and try to download the little thing. But, that didn’t seem too wise. So, I just copied it from Airness 2 to Forbin via Dropbox. Now I have my stupid little timer – and Forbin is just how I want it to be. Yes, Laurent – it is fussy, but I am all happy with it now. I just “had” to have that little timer. I tried to leave it behind – but it was an oldie but goodie. 

I am currently operating in the if you can not say anything nice don’t say anything at all mode where the Orange Lord is concerned. The horror is too great. Focus on that rainbow!

I wasn’t a cat today. I only took one nap. But, I didn’t actually accomplish anything either.  Maybe, I was a dog today.

I did do a little culling. I got rid of a ziplock bag stuffed full of miscellaneous computer cables, connectors and adaptors. Truth is, if I needed one – I wouldn’t remember that I had one and I would buy another one. So, I passed them on to the resident who helps other residents with “computer problems”.  

Weather continues hot, humid, stormy. In other words, normal summer.