life in the old lane

I am safe for another year. This afternoon, I had my annual “reassessment”. Reassessing my ability to live in The Old Bat Cave. They have about 20 questions that you have to answer correctly. Sort of like the random polygraph tests that I used to have to take when I worked for certain interesting clients.

One of the questions: “Can you prepare meals?” – “Yes, but why would I want to?” Had outstanding grilled coffee crusted scallops. (And bread pudding) for dinner tonight. Outside, on the terrace, with friends. Why would I want to nuke Lean Cuisine in the OBC?

Oh, if you flunk the reassessment – you get moved to assisted living or worse. They don’t kick you out. My friends and I sort of laugh at the reassessment, now. But, someday, it might be darn serious and we’ll have to coach each other about the answers. What are friends for?

Zero complaints about today’s weather. That makes it two days in a row – which is about as good as it gets in summer in DC area.

Some of my friends went down to the Capital this afternoon to protest some of the proposed budget cuts. A lot of things are hard to wrap my head around:

1. I got old. I never intended to get old.
2. My contemporaries are still on the picket lines. I thought we had settled all this shit decades ago.
3. I am living in an old folks asylum. See #1
4. Said asylum has a saloon. But no marijuana dispensary. 
5. The aforementioned saloon stocks a pretty fair beer from exciting downtown Lao People’s Democratic Republic. I have been to Laos. I didn’t leave anything there that I need to go back for.

Note to Carlton. You aren’t missing anything. Trust me. I made the mistake of looking at my full length mirror before I was fully clothed. Big mistake. Stuff is starting to sag over the top of my jeans. Not only am I falling apart. I fear the world is falling apart. Well, not the world. Just the human part of it. But, humans are only a tiny part of the planet. We just use more than our share of the oxygen.

As promised, the iPad arrived. I just had it clone itself from the Mini – using an iCloud backup from last week. It is much friendlier on the aging eyes. I supposed it set itself using the “blind as a bat settings” that I had on the old one. Yep, it was. I backed just it down a bit – so, I can crank it up to bigger and bolder text as I continue to decay.

Haven’t a clue what I am going to do with the Pencil. Except lose it. But, I do love accessories. One accessory is still on order for the iPad – a nice slip case. 

The new iPad wasn’t at all happy with my crappy wifi. 

I was going to wait and decide what cell service to use “later”. My phone service is from Google. While, my data plan on the mini is from T-Mobile. I have always been happy with t-mobile. But, I ordered a SIM card from Google. And, it wasn’t long before I popped it in. Downside is – if I am using LOTS of data, Google is more expensive and Google doesn’t allow “data only” SIMS to tether.

Couldn’t resist putting the iPad up to the window and snapping…

I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE PICTURES WITH MY IPAD. No matter how good it is. (Except in an emergency and only if no one is watching.)

Or maybe it is lost. In which case, it will be back. One day last week 5 ambulances came – and one was a one way trip. That, I guess is one of the downsides of living in an old folks home. Or maybe it isn’t. Maybe we are just being reminded that “nobody is promised tomorrow”. And, to start every day with “It’s a good day to die” not as a battle cry, but as an affirmation of  life well lived with no regrets and nothing undone. 

Spent most of the day puttering around with my staff photography project. I make a little sample YouTube video for my clients. Hopefully, I can see it on the screen they intend to use the photo on – so I’ll know how forgiving the display is. I also need to remember that the vision of the audience isn’t for tack sharp anymore either. 

After all the people photography angst – I went out a shot some birds and bees. 

ps – the iPad made it to Laurel MD – so I guess I’ll be seeing it tomorrow.

My bergamot plant is in full bloom and it is doing its job attracting bees. However, I don’t think it is a good fit for the garden box. My plant to too leggy. Maybe, if I give it another chance next year, I’ll cut it back and try to make it shorter and bushier. It is a member of the mint family, so it might work. 

Main event today was taking a few test pictures of the staff – I have this project to take pictures of the staff to help with a fund raiser. I like taking pictures of bees. I don’t like taking pictures of people. But, nobody said I have to like it to do it. 

The iPad is still in Louisville. Maybe it is going to the track. But, another accessory arrived today. A Google SIM card. The iPad has a built in SIM card that works on many carriers. But not Google service. But, it has a slot for a traditional SIM card. I am not sure that I will use Google service. I use Tmobile on my current iPad. If I am using a lot of data – TMobile is cheaper.  But, if I use WiFi most of the time my Google service is cheaper. This is another first class “problem”. 

Yes, boys and girls. You can get your cell phone service Google. Problem is: it only works on 5 cell phones. You never heard of any of them and only two are currently available. And, it’s not like Google takes their cell phone business very seriously. But, it’s kinda geeky. So, I like it. (The Google data-only SIM works in almost anything. Some folks have hacked the data SIM into working in other phones. But, it doesn’t seem to be worth the trouble to me)

For as long as I have been going to Kona, I have “known” Fred. Today, I found out that he recently died. He seemed ageless. Go Fund Me will provide a nice send off for the gentleman. A hui hou … 

While I was looking for pictures of Fred – I found some old film-time favorites of mine. All from the last century.

And the iPad has made it to Louisville KY. By way of Anchorage, Alaska.  

 

I have been riding the 51/52 bus with this guy for years. After Carlton died, he asked what happened to Carlton. And when I moved and stopped riding those buses regularly, he asked after my health. He is the cook at a small residential hospice. 

My well organized travel companion selected Cookeville Tennessee as our viewing station. Not a bad choice, for east of the Mississippi. 

Being a confirmed city woman – I was a little concerned when I looked at today’s Cookeville newspaper and found this as the lead story:

A total eclipse is on my bucket list. Next one comes to the US in 7 years. I’d best not wait. My travelling companion saw one earlier in the century from a cruise ship. She has the tee shirt.

I must say – Shamu does a mighty fine job as a camera. 

Spent a little time this afternoon helping a friend with her Windows 10 HP computer. I know nothing about Windows 10. But, the problems were solved. The good old – let’s turn everything off and back on again did the trick. This friend would really be happier with an Olivetti typewriter, a bunch of onion skin and carbon, plus a coop of pigeons for delivery. But, I taught her how to change the yellow cartridge in her printer a couple of months ago and when the blue one ran out – she was able to replace it herself. 

On the technology front – the iPad has made it to Incheon, Korea. 

On the political front – the good guys don’t seem to have found the range yet. We should have knocked off one of the recent congressional races. 

I focus on pretty basic things here at the office. Coffee, oranges, my pink mouse, and gummy bears.

If you ever order a thing plus an accessory for the thing from Apple – the accessory will always arrive days before the thing. And, the accessory is always useless without the thing. It just lays on your table and snickers because the thing is still in China. Chengdu China to be exact. Which is where my iPad is. The fancy iPad “pencil” in on my table. Still in its box.

Yesterday, I decided to leap waaaay outside of my comfort zone and take a road trip with a friend. (An old woman friend!). And, if we happen to see the eclipse – that will be a bonus. If we return to the Asylum still friends – the trip will have be a roaring success. Blast off late August.

Today, I will just refer everyone to my post of June 19, 2014.  

Glad that I have those 3 years behind me. No, I am not too young to be here. The Asylum is really Carlton’s lasting gift to me. 

That is my view – well – through the 300mm lens. The construction crane is temporary and I really don’t think the building will obstruct my view.  I hope. Nobody is promised tomorrow. And, no view lasts forever.

Last night a dinner at friend noted that perhaps Carlton was still tugging on my purse strings from the other side. 

She was right. So, this morning I checked online and found that “my” Apple store had the iPad I wanted. Hop on the bus. Wait in queue to get my shiny new toy. And, discover that they are out of iPad I wanted. So, I slink out. Dejectedly. But, not before I check online and indeed they are now out of my iPad. 

Not going to spend serious bucks on my second choice of iPad. Back on the 41 bus. Back home. Order the thing. And a pen. And a really sleek leather sleeve. And, I got it engraved. “Nobody is Promised Tomorrow” – just like the iPad Mini which I got in late 2013. I think it was a retail theraphy purchase when Carlton was having course of radiation. 

The new iPad Pro 10.5 is larger and heavier and hopefully, it was be easier on my aging eyes. Scheduled to arrive June 28. I ordered a Data Only SIM card from Google today as well.  Tricked out like a Space Gray Vegas Showgirl. 

 

I don’t pay as much attention to the latest and greatest happenings in the technology world as I used to. Remember the good old days when – no matter what – the computer you wanted always cost $4,000?

But, my much loved “late 2012” MacBook Air is getting pretty old in computer years. And, Apple seems to be abandoning the formerly oh-so-cool MacBook Air offering. Time to look at what “mid 2017” has to offer MacBook-wise. 

I am sure that everyone else was aghast last fall to discover that the MacBook comes in 4 colors, but only has two ports if you count the headphone jack as a port. 

I feel like a luddite. I still have sd-cards, and backup drives, and a scanner, not to mention a usb printer and the occasional usb memory stick. And, I haven’t used it since I moved to the Asylum – but – I am not sure I am ready to ditch it just yet – a DVD burner. 

I don’t think there is a MacBook in my future. I may pick up a used “late 2015” MacBook Pro. It still sports a nice collection of ports. The new MacBook Pros have several USB-C ports. 

I was a very early adopter of the laptop form factor. I don’t see myself tied to an iMac. 

The first laptop I remember for sure owning was the Toshiba 3100e Gas Plasma Display laptop. I think I had something before the 3100e – but the 3100e was a seriously cool machine back in the day – that being 1987 or so.