An old print look.an old damaged postcard lookB/W just out of the camera.Just out of the camera
Which just proves that a poor image, when post processed is still a poor image. But, I knew that. I just wanted it to work.
Did some moving stuff today. A little getting rid of, A little (very little) packing, some paperwork chores. Like moving the renters insurance etc.
And, it is out to dinner tonight – so, I’d best get off the okole and burn some calories. Why is that less than 2 weeks away for moving into an old ladies asylum – why is it that I am still concerned about my weight? I haven’t seen any old men there that I am in the least bit interested in seeing naked. And, I am sure they feel the same about me! But, I still care.
September 13, 2014 – Starting to think about Hawaii..which is what I am going to do real soon now this year. Now that I passed my mammogram.
The 60’s were a fun time when Carlton must have worked on “Nuclear cost assessment techniques” Note the cute little mushroom cloud.
The nuclear cost assessment technique slides hit the trash can. I was in full “What would Betsy do” mode. Betsy being my lawyer who will have ZERO trouble trashing stuff after I am gone. So, I may as well do it myself. Carlton’s desk, AKA the Ark of the Covenant, is now completely empty and cleared off except for his desk lamp. My “people” will “do something” with it (both desk and lamp) His Viagra Clock – well, it might just have to go to the trash bin. Most guys would not consider it as amusing as Carlton did.
Clearing off the desk was my move related accomplishment. Oh and I made of list of things that I need to do.
Yesterday – late in the day I ordered some printer ink. Yepper – the ink cost more than the printer… before noon today – Amazon delivered it. Well, I started fussing at my Hospital… If Amazon can deliver ink in less than 24 hours what is so hard about getting me my mammogram results. They didn’t come in today’s snail mail. Were they waiting to call me with bad news on Monday? A serious case of “living in the wreckage of the future”…
Well, I happened to look at the SPAM tab of my Gmail – and what should I find – but an email from my Doctor’s office telling me that new “lab reports” were added to my account. That email had arrived shortly after midnight. So, I check out the results. The mammogram is OK. And, the bone scan says my bones are better than the average 30 year old woman’s. Now I should be really happy with that news. And, I am… but you know me.. If some part of me is going to be way better than average – why can’t it be something that shows????
More good news. Verizon turned of Carlton’s phone service – but the Snail DSL still works.
It was cloudy and rainy all day.
September 12, 2014 Macro No Way. A pretty normal day – no signs of trouble ahead. I know where I found those interesting wasps in the top photo last year… maybe I’ll go look for them again tomorrow. Weather permitting.
Seems like one of the many republicans running for prez has pulled out. Gee, only 15 left.
Had the dreaded mammogram today. At 0730. I haven’t gotten the “we need to take another look…” phone call yet – it is 1730. If bad they call. If OK they snail mail.
I took an old friend to lunch – she needs a break – her partner is slipping off into dementia. And, I needed a break from me. We had a good time catching up. And, we checked out the Old Bat Cave. Kitchen was being installed. I am guessing the kitchen will be good to go by COB Tuesday. They have installed some outlets, switches, a thermostat etc. And – the shower floor is set. I noticed some nice and unexpected crown molding. Or maybe I just imagined crown molding.
So, the Old Bat Cave might be all fixed up in time to move in.
49 weeks ago today – I came home and found Carlton very dead.
Tahiti – mid 80sWith Thomas Jefferson – early 90s – the 1790s?
Today’s Moving Event: Schedule cutoff of the utilities. Verizon, who I had to call, took all the information and said “We’ll turn your service today”. Actually, I had planned have it turned off next week – but Verizon is so hard to deal with – I went along with their plan. So, after 42 years – it is byebye to Verizon. And, VEPCO, and Washington Gas Light.
The electric and the gas will stay on until the day after move out. Hopefully.
I’ll be tethering my computer to my iPad’s LTE service. Or I’ll use the house wifi.
The much dreaded mammogram is tomorrow AM. Dreaded, because who will hug me if something is wrong. Or needs rechecking. I have a history of false positives. Carlton always kept me under control when that happened. And, being Carlton, he suggested that I should just not get mammograms. Nobody gets out alive.
Planning lunch with an old friend tomorrow. Taking her to the Asylum. Sort of a reward for going through with the mammogram.
Went down to the asylum to check on the progress or lack thereof on the Old Bat Cave. There is no floor, no kitchen, no bathroom, no closet fittings, no electrical plugs or switches. There are walls – painted a lovely gray. A little lighter than the butterfly.
Two weeks from tomorrow – ready or not – I’ll be ensconced in the Old Bat Cave.
It was about 95 degrees when I was coming back from the asylum. It is going to be cool and rainy tomorrow – I think summer will be on the way out… Let fall begin.
September 9, 2014 – a warning – A little uneasy this eveningAnd, no, knowing how it all worked out – I wouldn’t have done anything different.
Took my camera outside for a sunrise shot this morning.
The B/W Version.
There was a little layer of fog. I just wish I had been able to center the sun right on top of the Washington Monument.
Most of you know that I was a member of the Longshoreman’s Union back in the day. ILWU Local 142. So, I have to remind one and all that we have Unions to thank for weekends, paid holidays, etc. When we had strong unions we also had employer paid health insurance and pensions…
Today – I took the little lenovo computer to the Goodwill and had a fine time checking out all the stuff. I love thrift shops. A vintage Ralph Lauren velvet jacket and a fine old belt with silver fetish animals. Now, I have to decide what I am going to remove from my carefully curated wardrobe to make “room” for the new additions.
And, this weekend – I did not succeed making butterflies or bats – but I did master the penguin.
Better find something other than bees to photograph. If you want to take more interesting pictures… Go to more interesting places. I’ll try that tomorrow. Maybe.
Vacuum Cleaners are a worthless. I thought they were supposed to “clean”. Who knew that the eat the fringe on rugs and get all clogged up with hair. And you have to CLEAN the vacuum cleaner. SO, what exactly is this thing doing for me. After I go around and sweep up all my hair. Then I eversocarefully run the darn thing around, being careful not to run over the rug fringe. Then I have to unjam the brush thing – which has strangled itself on hair that I missed. And take all the “dirt” out of the little box. And, I am supposed to do something to the filters. (But, I haven’t)… I am so not taking the vacuum to the Old Bat Cave.
Can you tell that Carlton was our family’s cleaning person. No wonder he used to complain about my hair being everywhere.
Oh – this is your very last chance for the little Lenovo.
It is in a box, ready to go down to the Goodwill. It is tiny, I can mail it to anyone in the US who wants it. It was designed to be used with your TV. But, it is a perfectly fine Windows 7 machine. HDMI cable conveys. As does the funky keyboard/mouse/remote. Provide your own tv.
My biggest accomplishment today is a pile of very crumpled dollar bills. Trying to fold a nice butterfly. Total failure. I did fold a bunch of cranes for my senbazuru.
Rejected any notion of going to the asylum to eat. I’ll be eating there for the rest of my life. Instead, went to the grocery and got some food. Most likely my last trip to the grocery until I stock the fridge in the Old Bat Cave. HEY, maybe I could bag the butterfly folding and try to fold a BAT!.
Passiflora incarnata – with too much postprocessing
It was something like 96 degrees today. And, I am just tired. Carlton could always tell when I was getting over tired and he would sort of force me to take it easy for a couple of days. I guess I am not as young as I used to be. I don’t like taking it easy. Plenty of time to take it easy after I am dead.
Nice and toasty hot here today. I did nothing except go to work. Three weeks from today is the much dreaded MOVING DAY.
One the plus side. Four weeks from today it will all be over and I should be all settled in.
Looking on the bright side – in this apartment I have to put 10 shades up and down – the Old Bat Cave will only have three shades. Is this really an advantage?
I want to move to “Not In Service” – they have really good bus service. “No Passengers” would also be a good neighborhood. Lots of Metro Trains go there.
But, this morning – I saw a new bus sign.
Bus is Backing???
This bus is parked. The person on the right is the driver – she is heading off to get a coffee. Normal enough behavior. But, exactly what good does a BUS IS BACKING sign do? Especially when it is on the front! Not to mention – the bus is parked.
Went to the asylum directly from work today for a late lunch. Stopped in to check the Old Bat Cave – it is being drywalled today. Still needs paint, floors, a kitchen and a bathroom. Three weeks from tomorrow is Move Day.
Move-wise no actions today. Today was sort of a The Widow Peg chore. I made an appointment for a mammogram. And, what does this have to do with being a widow? Well, mammograms always make me nervous. Very nervous. Waiting for the results. I have had more than a few mammograms that result in a call to “Come back and let us look again”. And, Carlton always kept me as calm as possible. I was supposed to make the appointment back in May. I figure I put it off 5 months. I figure my doctor will yell at me if I don’t go.
Also, there is my trip to Hawai’i. In 2013, I had to beg a change in our tickets because Carlton had a serious recurrence of his cancer. In 2014, I had to get a refund for Carlton’s ticket – a ticket I bought less than a week before he died. SO, I don’t want to have try for a refund on my 2015 ticket – caused by me being treated for cancer discovered at the mammogram. 8:00 AM Sept 11. Not a particularly auspicious date.
Any how – I will not get a ticket to Hawai’i until after I get the all clear from the mammogram folks.
My VPN. When I am out in the wild, I fire up my VPN. If I use the WiFi that my asylum provides – I’ll need to run my VPN all the time. So, I have it set up fire up automatically now. It causes a hiccup here and there. But, seems to me that hacking into the WiFi at an asylum for well off old folks – that sounds like a real good hack target. All those old people shopping online, checking their bank accounts, etc. etc.
