Working Wednesday, June 9, 2021

~ Jenny

I spent (not enough) time cleaning for Krissie’s visit this week (thank god, she’s not fussy) and the plan was for us to go through my stuff so she could take what she wants and I’d throw the rest out (yes, I know I should take it to Goodwill or something, but this needs to be done NOW). It’s probably wrong that my house is cleaner after she leaves, but it works for us. Except her visit got postponed until next week–that’s a good thing, she has something she needs to get done and I get an extra week to work here–so now the anticipation continues. Along with the cleaning.

What did you do this week?

73 thoughts on “Working Wednesday, June 9, 2021”

  1. I started a new remote-only tech writing job. I’m sitting through online classes on how the new application works. We’ve had a very hot few days so on breaks I go out and water. Had very social weekend, and now week, so it’s work and socializing for now. But both were what I couldn’t get for a long time, so it’s great.

  2. I finished binding my old quilt. I then spent too much time removing the quilting I had done before I took it to the longarmer. On Saturday morning, I gave it a bath, then laid it out on the garage floor (on a tarp) with some fans blowing across it to dry it. Sunday morning, it was done. So, scratch a UFO off the list.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CPvmqH5ns0X/

    Since then I’ve been half-heartedly working on the mosaic crochet cushion. It doesn’t inspire me, so I’m trying to do two rows a day. At this rate, it might be done – September? I’m also thinking and staging potential projects for my quilt retreat this weekend. I don’t know if I’ll be starting anything new, but I have a couple of things that could be finished up with the proper motivation.

    I got a good dental checkup, and was very proud of my BP (they take it there) – 111 / 66. Yay me.

    At work, we’re doing an online users conference this week, so every day between 11 – 5, we’re on. It’s only day 3, and I’m exhausted. It doesn’t help that my elderly cat picked this week to relapse. I’ve dosed her with some meds that hopefully will help her out. I’ve also got a call in to the vet.

    So, lots of things. Putting it all together, it’s my life.

      1. Thanks bunches! I made the sides straight, but used the suggestion I received here to have a little more interest at the top and bottom. I should probably throw it on the bed and use it!

    6. That’s astonishing! What shape is each block exactly? I can’t fathom how it can lay out flat with such precision, give all those angular seams. The zigzag ends are beautiful.

      Just a masterpiece, I think.

      1. I took a close up of one of the stars

        https://www.instagram.com/p/CP61MgOHOUO/

        Each star has six identical diamond pieces, and is surrounded by the white diamond shapes. As Jenny said, it is a lot of little pieces. I put it together so long ago that I can’t remember how long it took. It was sitting in a bag waiting for binding for at least 10 years.

    9. I wish I could see it. Instagram wants me to have an account now.

    10. All of your quilts are gorgeous, but since you shared the debate about whether or not to square off the top and bottom I appreciate this one even more.

    12. So beautiful! If we were in the same hemisphere I would definitely try to convince you to sell me some of your work.

  3. Week is kind of a blur but some highlights; oldest teen’s virtual high school graduation happened! Hooray! Next teen got into Running Start (WA’s dual enrollment for HS so graduates have a 2 yr associate’s degree along with diploma). The ballet school’s end of year performance happened, with lots of restrictions but hey, they got to perform on stage. So basically the week has been a lot of working on coordinating all the stuff happening plus celebrating achievements.

    Still working on final landscaping bits; husband designed and is constructing a cedar arbor arrangement for bougainvillea and climbing hydrangea, I’m planting an all-in-one almond tree, and probably this weekend we will finish up with the yard improvements for the year. The garden is looking amaaaaazing.

  4. There’s been too much work work and not enough fun work this week, which is making me cranky. I always resent having to do real work during summer vacation. Not that I’ve had a summer vacation for 30 years, but I still expect it nonetheless.

    I’m taking tomorrow and Friday off for a quick visit to Philadelphia to attend the flower show. It’s guaranteed to make me feel better, even though it will be hot and humid. But any visit to Philly is a good visit.

    1. It’s great! Very different from the Flower Show we’re used to, but great.

  5. I’ve been working on beating back anxiety and agoraphobia, by trying to make new things and making myself go out of the house on most days.

  6. I’m working late three days this week due to training – which means I get to go home at lunchtime on Friday. A nice trade-off. The training is boring, but I don’t have a mic or camera on the work computer, so I can putter around and make snide comments without getting in trouble. Or seeming rude, which is the bigger problem because my boss wouldn’t blink an eye at me puttering during training.

    I like my boss. She’s the epitome of hands-off. Occasionally asks me to do something but otherwise leaves me alone except to socialize. Happy Happy.

    I went to the beach last weekend and got too much sun, but you know I felt so relaxed after two days sitting on the beach reading. Yes, actually reading and not listening. It was worth the red skin and slathering on aloe vera gel.

    Happy summer, Arghers. I’m feeling very generous, relaxed, hopeful, and happy today. I want the same for all my friends.

    1. You deserve this; you’ve been through some very bad times, so it’s good to know the sun’s out again on your life.

        1. OMG today I am on a call where we have just spent 20 minutes discussing how to make these calls shorter

          1. Hahahahaha OMG I’m so sorry. Feel so lucky my managers are like ‘well we have a call scheduled today but there’s nothing on my agenda, anything from you? Nope? Well, nice to see ya, bye!’

  7. Back to Shrek rehearsals again. Just doing the lines “live” in front of the camera. Pretty easy work there.

    2. Saying “no” is really liberating. Congratulations on that!

      And your sweater is lovely.

      1. Thank you, and Diann too! I’m always telling my daughter to learn to say no; why is it so hard to take our own advice?

  9. Working on the construction projects; still trying not to kill people. The likely success rate of “trying not to” is going down significantly.

    Oldest son (a police officer) got hit by a bullet/shrapnel yesterday in his hand and had surgery last night. (Training exercise freak accident–a bullet somehow shredded coming out of a gun shot by the man standing next to him.) The injury which looked really bad turned out relatively minor; it could have been so much worse as he was raising his hand and it happened to block his neck/face area. He’s home and recuperating, so that is my good thing I’m holding onto this week.

    2. That sounds terrifying, Toni! I’m so glad he’s okay. And that you haven’t killed anyone. I’m having that problem right now with workmen who botched a job at the shop I run. Back in February. I’ve been chasing them around since then trying to get it fixed and I’m starting to get pretty damned crabby about it.

    3. It doesn’t matter how old they are, they’re still your kid. Congrats on the good outcome. Sorry the construction stuff is still making you insane.

  10. Oh — I don’t know if this is of any use to you, but there are several battered women’s shelters here which will come pick up stuff–what they can’t use, they re-sell to help the women raise money for their needs. No clue if you have anything like that in your area.

    1. In Nanaimo (Vancouver Island) we have a thrift shop for Haven House 🏠 a refuge for women and their children, I donate to it regularly, also, so ladies stores put on a yearly fashion show to raise money. Unfortunately not since Covid.
      Good news we get our second shots today. So glad.

    2. I think my therapist knows of one.

      The problem is, I have to make progress on this house NOW, no fruiting around. So if they need me to truck stuff over to the next town, that’s a now. You’ve been here, you know what a nightmare it is and it’s a lot worse than when you were here. The fire did not help.

      2. I didn’t think it was a nightmare at all. I loved it–such a beautiful place. And yes, you have a lot of stuff, but you downsized houses and it’s hard to cull through. [Said while eyeballing my entirely-filled-up garage space downstairs… it’s pretty horrible. I need to do this, too.]

  11. We are having by-appointment-only customers this week in lieu of our regular open house show. First one since fall 2019 so exciting.

    But actually, I just want to get home to the kittens. Did I mention adorable? Playful? Cuddly? Photogenic if one was any good with a camera? Everyone (well, 4 people so far) who have met them instantly turned to mush. And I am at work because……. oh yes, I have kitten mouths to feed.

    1. And kitten adoration doesn’t go away for a long time. Dmitri, now almost 10 months and 12 pounds and a lug, regularly hears “Who’s his Momma’s sweet baby. Yes, he is. He’s a sweet baby.” and on a more intellectually level “Who’s got a little fuzzy face. You’ve got a little fuzzy face. Yes, you do. Yes, you do”. Then I laugh like a hyena.

      2. Yep, my brother is still cooing at his little darlings, aren’t they the best kittens (will be a year old approximately July 4), the little rascals! I have certainly heard him say nice things to my kittens and cats over the years, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard him cooing!

  12. Finishing the painting of the raised and levelled shed, will be done tomorrow. Taking my time completing, in between mending, cleaning, gardening, and painting ceramics with G+R. Studying brain / body healing. Garden needs major attention, some rogue plants will be removed.

  13. I’m working on getting through the many, many emails I let accumulate in my inbox. Unfortunately this keeps me sitting in my chair, but I remain hopeful I can clear it out and then just possibly keep it manageable. Not at all exciting, but maybe putting it in writing on something other than one of my many to-do lists will help me get it done.

  14. I still don’t have working AC. Not at home, and not at work. And I work in a boiler plant. This situation lead me to purchasing two portable AC units online, which I’m sure I will regret.

    On Monday, I was looking for old LiveJournal posts, trying to lock down my hospital stay for CHF (Sep/Oct 2017). The post that filled in my blanks was on July 1, 2018, and it was – of course – a diet post. It was eerily similar to current diet posts, the main difference being that I weighed 20 pounds less than I do now. That was almost seven months after hospital, and I had gotten as low as 243. I was 252 in that post, 271 today, but Thursdays are official weigh-in days, so 271 is subject to change.

    I can’t regret that most of my diet posts have gone away. They were FaceBook posts, and I don’t FaceBook any more. Too much work.

  15. I’m struggling a bit. Suspect I need a proper holiday, but instead am about to start the six-month editing job with an online meeting tomorrow about the schedule. The new computer is nearly sorted. Discovered today that my old card reader won’t work with it, so had to buy a new one, which stressed me out because of the confusing connections – so USB3 is evidently significantly different from USB3.1 (the plug won’t fit the socket). In fact the excessive variety of USB connections does my head in. I ended up buying Apple’s card reader. More expensive, but at least I know it’ll work.

    So: installing software, reformatting hard drives, making back-ups, learning updated programs. Chasing an Amazon parcel that was never delivered. Sorting out a problem with audio on video calls, which after a day testing other apps with various friends (on Apple’s instructions) and two calls to Apple, turned out to be a bug that just affects FaceTime. Planting seedlings, sowing more veg and flowers, netting my strawberries (first one for pudding tonight, plus a couple of sugar snaps for my salad).

    2. Look for short cables with one type at one end and the other at the other end. I’d never heard of the newer USB connectors before I got the new PC last summer.

      1. Alas, Ann, it’s really not that simple. As usual, Apple insist on being different, and most third-party peripherals are aimed at Windows users – naturally, since they’re the vast majority of the market. I might see if I can get more clarity from Apple on what I can’t actually connect, despite the names being almost identical. I’ve counted 7 kinds of USB connectors so far.

        1. Yes, I’ve always had Windows, since no business is really likely to decide to be out of sync with IBM, neither did mine. However, I lost a cable for a medical device but had a gadget with multiple cables attached to a USB connection. One of them fit the device, so I took it in to the nearest big box computer outlet and asked for a data cable to fit. They said it was so obsolete they didn’t carry one, but they did tell me exactly what it was, and I was able to use the description to order one from Amazon.

  16. Around here, Salvation Army or AmVets will come to pick up donations. That could be a win-win for you and someone who needs your stuff.

    Working on a quick and dirty freelance project that about did me in last night, but today is better. Realizing my brain has slowed down. It still works, thank God, but it is not as agile as in days gone by.

  17. Lots of garden work and yesterday the big luncheon I helped planned happened. And it was wonderful! And it’s over! I still have seeds to throw down but it’s mostly keeping it up. I’ll be away for two weeksso i’m getting things done. looking forward to seeing my little grands – finally.

  18. I’m just working on the usual cleaning and the never-ending minutes for the board of elections. We are slowly certifying in dribs and drabs. I’ve been told it can’t last forever.

    On a happier note, Rafa’s back for a five day stay. He’s skittish, but settled-down quickly. I understandm he’s figured out how to jump on the couch. We’ll see.

  19. I have a crusade and it is rather exciting. If this is not the tone you want here, then please delete with my apologies.

    Here is the story. I live in a rural area of PA and my library is primarily funded via the county commissioners. The staff put up a small display for Pride month. Someone took offense and contacted the commissioners. One came down and yelled at staff, calling it amoral and we were bad people, and he is going to pull our funding. And so on.

    They had the monthly commissioners meeting and more of the same, including a weird fugue state rambling about George Floyd. I don’t know, it’s on Youtube. Basically liberals are bad. One commissioner is solidly in our corner, loves the library, comes in with his family all the time. The other two are very anti lgbtq and so on. One put on his facebook page that locals should call the library and tell us how bad we are, corrupting the children.

    Here is the joy- the community response has been very positive. He had to take the post down because of the response. Only two people called to say we were awful, and many more in support. And it made the front page of the paper. I am so proud and grateful to my community.

    But I still want to smite the bullies. You don’t get to threaten a non-profit because you don’t like something, especially not if you are a public servant. And I feel invigorated by this project. So I am mobilizing my family, born and found, and spreading the word. If anyone wants to send an opinion to county.commissioners@lyco.org it would be much appreciated even though you don’t live here. I really don’t want them to cut funding months from now when they think all of this has blown over…

  21. Tended to some yard work last weekend despite the heat, dealt with things at the day job, including sending a slightly less polite than usual long email to the workmen who screwed up building and installing a new door for my shop as part of a larger facade improvement project. In February. I’ve been chasing the woodworkers and the main contractor for months, trying to get the thing fixed, and then replaced as it continued to crack, warp, and swell. (They built it badly, and out of wet wood. Because they are idiots.) I pointed out to them that it was now June. And spelled out exactly what was going to happen if they didn’t fix it NOW. I was not nice. Since I hate confrontation, this wasn’t easy, but I have an obligation to the 50 artist-members of the cooperative shop I run. Besides, they pissed me off. If I were a man, I’m betting this would have been fixed months ago. I said that I understood that because I had been polite and patient all this time, they might be under the mistaken impression that I was a pushover. They would be wrong.

    On Twitter I mentioned the letter, and used a GIF from the old Incredible Hulk TV show of Bruce Banner saying, “You shouldn’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” That’s pretty much where I’m at. I’m way too tired to be dealing with this crap.

    On a happier note, you could say that I finished working on a major goal yesterday, when I made the last payment on my mortgage. It was originally a 30 year mortgage that I got when I was 41, and I didn’t want it hanging over my head until I was 71, so I’ve been working at paying it off early. Thanks to self-discipline, a couple of better than expected royalty payments from Llewellyn (gods bless that tarot deck), and a small unexpected gift from my parents, I wrote the last check yesterday. The house may be a tiny, old, slightly off-kilter farmhouse, but it is all mine. The sense of relief was palpable.

  22. I thought I had nothing but remembered I had my yearly physical last week and good news don’t have to go back till next year. Still fussing about my weight and that is something I’ll have work on. She actually laughed when I said my low metabolism has been in a battle with my food intake.

    It has been more comfortable here since the AC’s have been installed in the windows. In the mornings I had just been mostly working on the necessary but mundane tasks.

    We hired a mowing service to take care of the lawn, my husband can no longer do it. It was getting harder to snag help. When we had the large tree taken down in March we knew we were going to miss the shade come summer and it’s true we miss the shade it gave the deck in the mornings. Now we have to wait until after noon for it to pass over the side of the house.

    Two of the grandchildren came by Sunday for a visit and we learned that another of their pets is struggling with health issues. They started getting animals and critters about fifteen years ago when the oldest was five. They have already lost a dog to cancer and old age now the cat has diabetes and will have to have insulin. My granddaughter insists she going to pay for it herself out of her earnings. I know from past experience it is hard to let go.

    I read in the morning on line paper that a bear was spotted on the neighboring town line. Usually they are mostly seen in the northern part of the state and it is getting scarier. Coyotes, bears, turkeys, deer what have you. They are no longer afraid or just have no place left to roam.

  23. Despite writing down every evening what I’ve been doing during the day, I have trouble remembering what I’ve been doing this last week. Mostly I’ve been wrestling with my brain, which is either very foggy and unhelpful, or throwing increasingly destructive thoughts at me, which I do not approve of and can not use right now. F*ck you, brain. Argh.

    Because some people don’t believe that Sven is really blind when they watch him play “normal” video games on stream (because of his skill level and because his eyes are not visibly damaged), he’s wearing blindfolds to avoid the constant discussion. He did a Charity Stream to raise money for the Princess Margaret Foundation last December, and for that occasion I threw together some special blindfolds that he could swap during the stream instead of the usual simple and plain black ones. These turned out to be very popular with the audience, and because I needed some change right now, I started on a new one. I haven’t come that far yet, I’ve really only sewn some red felt onto a simple black sleep mask to give it some colour, but I will do something more flashy with it… I just haven’t figured out what yet. At least I got to practice getting the thread through the needle and sew along a line. Gotta start somewhere.

    1. Maybe some red and orange flames would look striking against the black? 😀

      1. That is an excellent suggestion, especially since his main character in Street Fighter, Ken, has all sorts of flashy flames surrounding him during certain parts of a match. I’ll definitely work on that. Thank you!

  25. I finally got an appointment with the DMV for a RealID license renewal tomorrow afternoon, so I’m assembling documents and hunting for a spare 1099, and I downloaded the current version of the state Driver’s Handbook. The week’s hiccup turned out to be that my mother’s computer, which is the one my brother chiefly uses, started behaving Very Weirdly this weekend, and since I couldn’t fix it — I’m the one who used to do basic IT at the office pre-retirement — I just ordered a new one for his birthday on Friday. Of course, it’s currently scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so Someone will have to be on hand to Receive it. I also took the old one to the repair shop yesterday, so either we’ll have an extra or, if repair is hopeless, I gave them a note that I want the hard drive. Not An Image of the hard drive in some format I can’t access. It has his health records, our tax records, and our mother’s ICE correspondence, which I can’t lose until the cases are officially settled. [Her stepfather and his second wife adopted children from outside the US and were dilatory about dealing with their citizenship status and finally died before the status was finalized — so has my mother. At this rate the kids will pass away from old age before the status is formalized, too.]

  26. Jenny, not sure what’s up, but almost every comment here shows that I “liked” it. I probably liked 3 comments earlier in the day (I love you all, I swear!), so it’s definitely showing wrong.

    It’s been doing the thing that others mentioned as well, new post shows no comments until I click in and then there are comments present, and the count shows correct moving forward until a new post.

    Neither are a problem really, but wanted to bubble up the comment likes as a new one to me.

    Android s10e, Chrome, not incognito, Chrome is version 91.0.4472.88, OS is Android 11 SM-G970U Build/RP1A.200720.012

    1. Incognito didn’t show the same issue, and when the screen refreshed when adding the comment it went away. So likely can ignore this, sorry!

  27. Building money leis for my son’s graduation on Sunday. He is FINALLY graduating, at 32, BS in Mech Engineering! And I snuck a look at the job market; there are SO MANY entry-level jobs for Mech Engineers in this state! (He does not want to move out of Washington State.) So I am giddily looking forward to either a) he moves out, and I have my condo to myself, or b) he starts paying for half the condo expenses! Whee!

    About the leis: my ex is from Hawaii, my youngest graduated from U of H, and leis are a big thing for celebrations. Ex got eldest two leis, sister-out-law got two, I’m building two, and my youngest son has brought home SEVEN from Hawaii. I have warned eldest that he is going to be a No-Neck Monster. He is very pleased with all the attention.

  28. I have been working on unpacking and have finally put away all my clothes. Now I need to find room for the shoes. Please remind me why I own so many boots again?

    What I really need to work on is calming the hell down – there was a delivery screwup of some furniture this morning (I was here, they insist I wasn’t, I actually saw the delivery guy across the complex through my open front door, they won’t take responsibility and redeliver) so I now have to dragoon a friend to help me collect it from the GPO in the city centre. The rage was justified, but disproportionate to the inconvenience. So working on calming down now. Maybe wine will help. Or oven chips.

  29. I’m feeling overwhelmed by the opening up of things: I’m right back to feeling guilty about not inviting people over and entertaining them. I don’t want conversations about shared friends’ faults. I don’t want people pushing food and drinks on me — they get more insistent as soon as they hear I’m dieting.

    There. I waited until Jenny had the next post up because no one is likely to read this. It’s just me being grumpy.

    1. I am also really unenthused about ‘opening up.’ We had little enough social life pre-pandemic; since then three of our close friends have moved away, which basically leaves us with two. Staying in California till DH’s mother dies is going to be a long lonely slog. He still works 6 days/week; I’m f***ing tired by Friday night; for both of us dedicating a Sunday (our mutual One Day Off) to running around L.A. trying to Do Something has been less and less fun by the year. Sigh. Your grumpy is not alone. 🙂

  30. It’s been a busy/stressful week at Day Job, so that’s basically all I’ve done aside from re-read Jay Hogan’s four Auckland Med books. Number 5 is coming out soon so I wanted to refresh my memory. 🙂

    Oh and we watched episode 1 of ‘Loki.’ I like a long-legged man with a) wild hair and b) knives. What does that say about me?

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