life in the old lane

Decided to spend less time with the computer for a few days. My attention span seems to be shrinking. Figure technology isn’t helping. I don’t think it is dementia. I think it is mental laziness. Caused by too much pointing and clicking.

So for a few days – its back to the old ways. Read books. Read dead tree newspapers. Listen to iPod. (don’t have records or CDs anymore.) Shop at stores.

Check email twice a day. Spend required time  JUST doing investing stuff. Other than that – no online technology.

No computer or iPod games. If I need to play solitaire – get a deck of cards.

Haven’t decided how long to keep this up. At least I’ll not be yelling at my snail internet.

The rain stopped at about 2PM. I spent a sweet hour lounging in the sun.

We are in drying out mode in the apartment.

It has rained all day. What else is there to say?

Yesterday was Seattle weather. Today is more like monsoon season in Ceylon.

No picture today. All of the photo brain cells have be diverted to develop a minimal offsite storage scheme for my best photos. It has to work with Snail Internet. And, I don’t want to spend a bunch of money. Also, I am not Margaret Burke-White. My photos really don’t matter.

Great sale on underdrawers at Victoria Secret on Labor Day. 7 pair of sexy panties for $25. 7 pair of saggy Wal Mart granny panties went into the trash. TMI – Carlton noticed the new fancy pants. Not as good as going to Paris for lingerie – but way cheaper.

We are having lovely Seattle weather. Without the lovely Seattle coffee.

This afternoon – which is my weekly “afternoon off” – I napped and continued puttering around with my vintage photos.

Having a fine veggie dinner tonight – veggie chili and rice. Time to convert from summer cooking to fall cooking.

In the 60’s and early 70’s I was a card carrying member of the Longshoremen’s Union. ILWU Local 142. We didn’t cross picket lines. We “Looked for the Union Label”. And we never ate California table grapes.

So, what happened. Why aren’t today’s worker bees up in arms. The fat cat capitalists are even fatter. Worker production is UP. Worker wages are DOWN. My theory: The fat cat capitalists are funding the TeaParty. And the TeaParty has convinced that government is the whole problem. Just free the fats cats from regulations and taxes and all will be peachy. Yeah Right.

Expecting a blood bath in the market tomorrow. If I thought I could pull it off safely – I’d bail out at the open. But, I think I’ll just put my head in the sand for the day.

Notice: I have become one of the fat cat capitalists.

 

After 20 years of staying in the same room in the same hotel in Hawai’i it is looking like we might have to move. To another room. Not another hotel. Seems that business has been so bad that “our” part of the hotel is closed. Come Tuesday, Carlton will call them again and see what we can arrange. He called them on Friday – but when he was advised that he could not have “his” room – he just told them that he’d get back to them. I called the night clerk this morning and she confirmed that our part of the hotel is closed.

There are other rooms. But, we will lose the killer view. On the other hand, we might get a room with a “kitchenette”. And, I’ll not have to cook in the bathroom for four months. Change is Good.

In the spring of 2000, I took this picture at JFK’s grave site. The oak tree was a nice mature tree when the Cemetery was Bobby Lee’s plantation/home. But, the supreme bitch – Mother Nature – took the tree out during last weekend’s hurricane.

Nobody – and no tree – is promised tomorrow.

The apartment is all back to normal.

Spent one whole day babysitting the apartment. For some reason Carlton wanted someone here … So, I spent the day organizing my audiobook collection on the new 1TB external drive. Seriously nerdy way to spend a day.

I am trying clean up my digital life.

Mom Nature, the bitch that she is, decided to get even with me for dissing her latest offspring – Hurricane Irene. The maintenance guys showed up this morning and tossed the living room and Carlton’s room. Things are supposed to be drying out. They haven’t a clue how or where the water comes in. All they can do is dry the carpet and replace the padding. Since this is a rental. Works for me. But at this instant – the unit is a wreck.

This picture is from Memorial Day 2009. I took it back into the digital darkroom for more work. Might have over done the clouds. But, there is a cloud over the Capital City these days.

Happy to report that we had a little water that wicked its way into the apartment and dampening the rented carpet. I am so glad this is a rented space. Carlton would be going crazy if he owned the place. Nothing harmed. If this happened a lot I guess it would rot the carpet. But, it isn’t a very good carpet.

It is about 7:15 PM. Just pressed the camera up to the window and got this nice image. Notice that there is nothing to notice. Hope it continues to be a non-event.

But, we are currently filling up one tub. So we can flush. Better safe than smelly.

I spent a lovely rainy day playing with my lovely new 1TB drive.