life in the old lane

Today’s adventure. Walk as far as necessary to get the steps in for the day. At the next bus stop, get on the first bus that comes along and take it to the end of the line. Get off the bus. Wander around. Get on a bus and come home. The 16H Bus came along. It took me to Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. That would be a 150+ store shopping center that I believe attracts more tourists than residents. So, it was sort of like a trip. They have a Travelex Currency Exchange booth. And, lots of stores and kiosks stocked with androgynous young men wearing ill-fitting tight pants thrusting perfume samples at the unwary.  Also, had to remember how to get out of the place to find the correct bus stop.  It was a fun way to get my steps in today. 3.5 Miles.

Note to self: Don’t be an entitled asshole bitch, bitch. So, my boat trip through the Northwest Passage ends in Nome, Alaska. Then we all get on a charter plane and fly to Vancouver. It’s actually easier for me to get home from Nome. So, I was thinking about just bailing in Nome. Then it occurs to me that when the boat docks in Alaska, we are coming from Canada. Customs and Immigration time. But, if the boat puts us all in buses, takes us to the airport, and puts us on the chartered plane… then we are transit passengers and no Customs and Immigration. So, I really should just let the trip play out and not try anything cutesy. Because the one and only Customs and Immigration guy might not be on duty when the boat arrives. 

Our dear friend who died last week had planted a garden about a week before she died. It is my honor to watch it grow to maturity. Well, me and Mother Nature with help from my friends.

A photo from June 12, 2013. From my balcony at Virginia Square. 

Didn’t do much at all today. Completely ignored my watch every time it nagged me to MOVE.  Old age really is sneaking up on me. No. It’s not sneaking. It’s doing it right out in the open. 

I believe I like MidJourney’s version best. Sigh. Beaten by a machine. Again.

Went to the hospital for in-person yoga today. I was the only real person in the class – well except for the teacher.  Everyone else was on Zoom. I go because I don’t want the teacher to have to be alone. And to get out in the real world. 

Today’s bonus was seeing an old friend in person for the first time since Covid. Another bonus was finding the perfect magnolia flower on the hospital grounds. Magnolia flowers are “perfect” for 6 hours – MAX.

It might not seem like much to you, but, I had a surprisingly productive afternoon

1. 1. 1. I changed my password on a site that was totally in Icelandic and that wouldn’t translate to English. Try that sometime. 
      2. Stopped fussing that there is no good way to Iceland and just booked tickets on Iceland Air. (After changing my password.) I had a credit from Iceland Air for a flight they messed up in March 2022. 
      3. Got a hotel for 5 nights in Reykjavik.  That will give Iceland Air plenty of time to get me there before the boat leaves.  I haven’t actually “been” to Iceland, except the airport in years. It will be fun. 
      4. AND, I finally got all of my essential “end-of-life” paperwork completed, signed, witnessed, and notarized. Now all I need are the copies. But, if I die before I get the copies – well, that’s OK. (I had all that paperwork, but it was 9 years old. Things change and need a little tweaking.) The pleasant surprise was, my lawyer and her staff were visiting other clients in The Asylum so, she called and asked if I was available to sign stuff today. Yes indeed. 

Didn’t get any death cleaning done. But, I figure getting the death paperwork done takes care of the death cleaning for today.

Sort of feeling old today. Big surprise. I am old. Only walked 3.3 miles today and didn’t hit my cardio target. But, I am alive. 

Back from dinner. Fried egg and bacon sandwich. An excellent dinner. The oldest person at our table had cake and ice cream for dinner. He also ordered soup, but he didn’t think it was worth eating. As you can see, when you reach a certain age you don’t worry too much about “healthy eating”.  Something is going to get you. So you might as well eat cake for dinner. 

I sure buy don’t buy the things that I used to buy at Traders. It’s mostly because I eat breakfast every morning at The Asylum. Breakfast is the one meal that consistently delivers the goods. And I eat dinner at The Asylum because … well … let’s just say I go for the company and not the cuisine. If it were not for my friends, I would not be eating The Asylum dinner very frequently. And, I never eat The Asyum’s lunch. Hence, sort of light lunch stuff from Traders. And Sweet and Spicy Pecans. Gotta have those things.

Sort of getting in the spirit of Death Cleaning. Maybe I’ll dig out my copy of Ms Magnusson’s famous book and see if it provides an additional boost. I am on a three-day streak of getting things in the proper donate, trash, or recycle container.  Today I decided if something was dusty, it most likely wasn’t mission-critical. 

After putting the “groceries” away I moved the orchids over to the stove. They get watered and fed on Sunday mornings. At this instant, they sorta look like drunks waiting for the bar to open!

According to the internet, the air is “moderate” at this instant. It is most definitely better. Much better.

Some death cleaning was accomplished today. Just do a little every day. Well, maybe every other day.  

Wonder how the current Trump kerfuffle will end up?

Note that the toilet appears to be a generic beige model. And the shower curtain leaves much to be desired. 

That was early this morning. It’s down to just “Unhealthy” at this instant. 

I didn’t do my regular “brisk” fitness walk today. I don’t think it would have harmed me in the least. But, it seems like a good excuse. 

Still working at the death cleaning thing. It shouldn’t be this hard.  I know that when I die, all the stuff with either end up in the trash dumpster or down at our Asylum What Not Shop/Christmas Bazaar. So, what’s so hard about getting a head start on the process?  

Françoise Gilot died a couple of days ago at the age of 101. She lived life large. She was a respected artist, Picasso’s mistress and mother of 2 of his children, she famously left Picasso, and later married Jonas Salk. That marriage lasted for the rest of his life some 25 years. 

I wonder if she spent her declining years death cleaning? I seriously doubt it!

I know she won’t mind me using this picture because she emailed it to me to use in my recent video. It’s really an excellent image. The “horizon” is level. Things are in focus. And the picture radiates love and joy. Ellie was a rather serious photographer. This is a good way to remember her. 

Most of the smoke is coming from Quebec, I believe. With a little help from the Northwest Territories thanks to the jetstream. 

But, there is always something to complain about. The Asylum is on its second set of “New Improved” coffee machines this year.

The question is when your coffee machine has Error: 240 Configuration fault, do you call the chef or tech support? 

Off to Old Town Alexandria for walkabout.  

About that video. It’s only passable. 

If you know me well, you’re aware that I took pleasure in pointing out that our Episcopalian faith-based management didn’t fully support our campaign, only allowing us to utilize the auditorium. Despite the fact that the Episcopal Church is a strong advocate for gun control, it didn’t seem to be the case for our campaign. On a positive note, The National Cathedral, which is the Mothership of the Episcopal Church in the US, hosted a significant event on Friday to promote rational gun laws.

On-time and within budget. That’s all you can hope for. I finished it 40 minutes before dinner.

Actually, there is one more person on the review team. Then I’ll YouTube it and move about 30 gig of files off the Mac. This very well may be my video last rodeo.