The Mandelbear's Musings

GIP: Rainbow's End

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:54:02 GMT

Just a gratuitous icon post, to show off the sign on our gate.

Don't be alarmed by the location -- Colleen is just in for another endoscopy, having a gallstone removed. She should be waking up soon.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done so far this month (20130501 We - 19 Su)

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:26:17 GMT

It's been a long month so far, but not nearly long enough. We've been packing the apartment, and running a van-load of boxes down to Rainbow's End nearly every day -- we're just having the movers take the furniture from the apartment. We'll have the Memorial Day weekend to clean up. Oh, did I mention the movers? Right.

Moving day for North Starport is this coming Friday. GLEEP! House! Move! Yard! The other reason I've been down at the house nearly every evening is to water the newly-sodded lawn. It's gorgeous. And the deck. And...

At the same time, I'm worried. There's no turning back from here -- this had better work. I think it will. That doesn't keep the late-night doubts away completely, but it helps. I'll probably still miss the Starport from time to time, but Rainbow's End is wonderful.

Lots of great links; I don't really have time to go over the list. That's what happens when you don't post for nearly three weeks -- I have to get *out* of that bad habit.

0501 We
  % two dreams involving cryptography -- one involved stopping or delaying a
    submarine in order to prevent a key from being delivered, the other being a
    treasure hunt with multiple keys, the object of which was to determine the
    address of a party by ordering flowers for the hostess, who was an old woman
    being honored for something.
  * up 6:15; W=202.4; d, n, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  * Got a ride with N, even though she overslept.  (Riding with a passenger made
    for slightly faster travel via the HOV lanes.)
  @ The Internationale - Trinitite material if ever there was.
  @ First of May/Lyrics - JoCopedia, the Jonathan Coulton wiki
  & posted the preceeding 2 links as "songs for the day"
  * check to make sure that the money I got from the Starport ELOC made it into
    my checking account.
  * make first mortgage payment on RE

0502 Th
  * up 6:15; W=202.4; d, n, l; dishes
  @ Our Feel-Good War on Breast Cancer - NYTimes.com +Tim O'Reilly
  * deposit checks.
  : Colleen fell in the bedroom; luckily Devon heard her calling for help
  * down to RE with Devon, Emmy, and a van full of boxes.  Stopped at Home Depot
    to get a sprinkler.
  * water yard.

0503 Fr
  * up 5:45; W=202.6; d, n, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  & Walked down to Whole Foods for lunch; got Thai noodles to eat there, and a
    chunk of goat cheese for later.
  & group happy hour, with actual beer.  Cool!
  : "Ode to Joy" on steel pan at the corner of Pine and 6th
  * change ink on N's printer.  Pretty badly clogged heads.

0504 Sa May the 4th
  * up 6:15; W=202; d, n, t, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  ~ 11am Jim Reynolds - walkthrough, check
  @ Slash: Not Just a Punctuation Mark Anymore (ysabetwordsmith) 
    "It isn't often that slang creates a new conjunction"
  @ ysabetwordsmith | Coping with Emotional Drop
  * drive down with Devon and YD; Colleen needed to sleep in.
  * noon: hitch install at W. Seattle U-Haul.  Arrived 11:45 or so
  * walk:  down to Home Depot.  Some nice greenspace along the way.
  * afternoon/evening housefilk

0505 Su Cinco de Mayo
  * up 7:30; W=202.4; d, n, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  @ Hysterical Literature: The Orgasm As Art | Criminal Wisdom 
    Hysterical Literature: Behind Clayton Cubitt's erotic YouTube series 
    How to make reading NSFW - don't remember where I found the link. Sexy and
    fun.  Also enthralling.
  @ thnidu | PBS: The Movie (PBS Meets The Avengers)
  * finish taxes - done ~12:30
  * down to house with Devon.  Buy hose (15' is a little too short to get out of
    the garage) and fittings.  N had already gone home to do homework.
  * Installed grabbar in the downstairs bathroom.  Studs in weird places, but
    found one suitable for a vertical bar across from the toilet where it will
    do the most good.
  * Chili for dinner.  The apartment is now out of rice
  & printed a paper for N, since she has only 2/3 of a printer at the moment
    (1/3 of the black jets are still clogged, after several hours of cleaning)
  * 10pm BP=111/61; P=78.  Colleen was up over 100/something, which was good.

0506 Mo
  * up 6:00; W=201.4, BP=130/71, P=64; d, n, l; dishes
  * Down to house with a load of boxes after dinner

0507 Tu
  * up 6:20; W=202.4; d, n, l; dishes
  @ Dr Strangecloud (or how I learned to stop worrying and love syncing) | ZDNet 
  @ Does Prenda Believe In No-Win Scenarios? Because Judge Wright Just Gave
    Them One. | Popehat 
  @ Prenda law judge says porno copyright trolls are frauds, identity thieves;
    $80K in fines and disbarment pending - Boing Boing 
  @ Prenda hammered: Judge sends porn-trolling lawyers to criminal investigators 
  @ After nearly 10 years, Adobe abandons its Creative Suite entirely to focus
    on Creative Cloud - The Next Web 
  * book Devon's flight home.

0508 We
  * up 6:25; W=203.4; d, n, l; pots
  & spent lunchtime with N; she sounded stressed.
  % Why can't I ever find a charger cord in my bag when I need one?

0508 Th
  * up 6:33; W=203.4; d, n, l; dishes
  @ Medical Alarm Product Features | MediPendant
    Medical Alert System I like: the short guide. 
  @ A list of medical alert systems available today with product reviews 
    Medical Alert Comparisons of Life Alert, Lifeline, Lifestation & More
  o Aetna:  888-463-6265

0510 Fr
  * up 6:30; W=203.4; d, n, l; dishes
  * 5pm Chris Jorg of Chipman to N's to estimate move; coming to the apt afterward
    -> bottom line:  $1K for the apartment (furniture only, no boxes), 5.7K for
       the house in Shoreline (mainly due to the garage)
  * Cleaned piggie cage

0511 Sa
  * up 6:40; W=203.4; d, n, l; shower, exercise,
  @ thnidu | The Last Time CO2 Was This High, Humans Didn’t Exist
  @ The Incredible Power Of Concentration - Miyoko Shida Balance
  @ Bee Deaths May Have Reached A Crisis Point For Crops : NPR +Kee Hinkley
  @ The proper way to wear a hoodie on Twitpic
  @ Judge Tosses DMCA Defenses, Creating Unexpected Copyright Liability for Web
    Services In New York | TechCrunch Appalling
  " labeled box 'Random stuff from shelves near desk'; realized I was having a
    Near Desk Experience "
  * down to RE with D to get massages and deliver a (small) load of stuff.
  * Got the TV stand about halfway assembled.
  @ Boggle! (ysabetwordsmith | Boggle the Owl) ... talks to depressed people.
  * BP=129/77, P=69

0512 Su
  * up 10:15; W=202.6; d, n, l; dishes
  * LFP Farmer's Market starts
  * Down to house.  Finished assembling the TV stand.
  @ 7 Inspiring Home Business Ideas for Stay-at-Home Moms (or Dads) | SBA.gov 

0513 Mo
  % 3:30ish woke up and couldn't get back to sleep
  * back to bed 5:10; got a little sleep maybe
  * up 6:30; W=202.6; d, n, l; dishes
  * pick up some loperamide on the way home
  * ask Colleen when her next endoscopy app't is -> 5/20 7:45
  @ Boggle! - how to talk to somebody who's depressed. 
    Having the first part of the post in an image makes it harder to quote. :(
  * To house; watering the edges.  Gas on the way back.
  @ The Slow Genius of Ray Harryhausen | Film School Rejects (ysabetwordsmith) 

0515 Tu
  * up 6:20; W=203.6; d, n, l; exercise, dishes
  @ teeshirts that say "yes, they're fake. my real ones tried to kill me." 
    (via he Ferrett's Journal - “Poor Brad” (or, Thoughts on Angelina Jolie’s Breasts))
  @ Social Waste Product: Speaking of different body shapes...
  @ Not just a girl….. » Jaime Moore photography +Kenandra Wood

0515 We
  * up 6:30; W=203; d, n, l; shower, dishes, exercise
  * put power bill in N's name
  * N and the kids over for dinner

0516 Th
  * up 6:30; W=203; d, n, l; dishes
  @ West Seattle Blog… » West Seattle Crime Watch: More car prowls, and what
    police want you to do about them 
  * print move docs for Chipman
  @ First Person: Explaining Transgenderism to Kids - Yahoo! Shine 
  @ Songbook Apps

0517 Fr
  * up 6:30; d, n, l; dishes
  * Drive to work
  * 3pm leave - submit timecard before leaving
  * 4:00 Anita Brown (me and Colleen)
  * 21:24 BP=127/66, P=71
  @ 9 Questions That Atheists Might Find Insulting (And the Answers) | Alternet 
    f(Nora Rivkis) - yup.  This.
  * sign moving paperwork, email images
  & pick up N at RE - in too much pain to drive

0518 Sa
  * up 7:40; W=206; d, n, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  & Take N down to clinic in Seattle.  Will cause some scheduling problems this
    afternoon, but ok.
  * 10:20  Dr. Chopra - Colleen -> disabled parking, FullLife referral, UTI test
  * 10:40 Dr. Chopra  
  -> They have Emmy's birth year as 1995, so she can make appointments.
  @ Goal-Fish: The Neurodivergent To-Do List | Musings of an Aspie (ysabetwordsmith)
  @ LFCS: A $99 supercomputer [LWN.net]
  @ Debian 7 "Wheezy" released - The H Open: News and Features 
  * A run to the house with the YD; pick up a laptop charger at Best Buy on the
    way back.  Looked at laptops; she likes the $299 Lenovo.
  @ How to Spread The Word About Your Code ✩ Mozilla Hacks 
  * second trip down to the house.  Brought food down for tomorrow.
  % it's going to be a hellish week, between moving and work.

0519 Su
  * up 6:30; W=204.6; d, n, l; shower
  @ The Hawkeye Initiative • Special Guest Edition: The Hawkeye Initiative
    IRL! li(Mary Branscome)
  @ How to Spread The Word About Your Code ✩ Mozilla Hack 
  * 10ish pick up Chaos
  * with Chaos and Devon to the LFP Farmers' Market
  * down to RE with everyone (incl. Naomi)
  * massage, including muscles in places I didn't know I had places

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Housefilk at Rainbow's End

Sat, 04 May 2013 17:20:32 GMT

Rainbow's End, in West Seattle, is hosting its first housefilk today, with special guest Alexa Klettner, from Germany. Starts nominally around 2pm, but show up any time.

From the West Seattle Bridge turn right on Genesee (one block past the first traffic light, which is 35th Ave), take the second right onto 37th, and park. Look for the sign on the fence; you can't miss it. If you get lost, call me: 408-896-6133.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Songs of the day

Thu, 02 May 2013 02:44:55 GMT

The Internationale - Wikipedia - Trinitite material if ever there was.

First of May/Lyrics - JoCopedia, the Jonathan Coulton wiki

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done recently (20130421 Su - 30 Tu)

Wed, 01 May 2013 05:34:15 GMT

The last week was dominated by the prep for my colonoscopy on Monday. This involved a week's worth of a low-fiber diet, which was highly annoying. The procedure itself went as well as could be expected, and I was able to have Naomi pick me up about the time they let me go. I understand perfectly why they don't allow people who have been drugged into unconsciousness to drive; after I got home I put the dirty laundry into the drier and came within a second or so of adding the soap.

Mom says that after 85 they don't bother, so assuming I don't need one more often than once every decade or so I only have two more to look "forward" to. The results will come back in a week or so.

Friday the stairlift arrived, and on Saturday I took Colleen down to check it out. She loved the master suite, especially the shower. I expected her to like it, but it was nice to have that confirmed.

The yard work was pretty much done by then except for the last of the planting -- it looks fantastic. Work inside the house is progressing; there's a lot of dust. It's going to be a bit dicey with credit until my tax refund comes in.

Lots of good links, many of them from the footnotes in ysabetwordsmith's latest serial fanfic, "Coming Around", and her (related) "three weeks for dreamwidth" posts.

More, as usual, in the notes.

Side note -- I'm considering putting my "done" posts somewhere else, in favor of somewhat irregular postings with more substance. Anyone not bored by the detailed notes? Inquiring minds need to know.

0421 Su
  * up 8:30; W=200.2; d, n, l; dishes
  @ What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage - New York Times (ysabetwordsmith)
    I also really like what Ysabet is doing in this series.  Lots of good stuff
    about interpersonal dynamics.
  * shopping - Central Market with Colleen and Devon
  * cleaned piggie cage
  * Down to the house with YD and a dozen boxes.  Hung one of the hallway
    cubby/coatracks, unboxed the TV stand.  May end up moving the cubbies to
    match the other side; will have to ask N.
  : YD feels left out of the loop on the house.  Have to work on that.
  % left foot hurting - inside of the arch.
  * Dinner:  caprese salad, pasta with spicy Italian-flavored ground turkey in
    the sauce.  Pretty good. 

0422 Mo Earth Day
  * up 6:20; W=203.4; d, n, l; dishes
  * track down instructions for colonoscopy - prep starts today
  * to work and back with N.
  & to Sky Nursery to get roses.  Found dragon and fountain
  * to Walgreen's to get laxatives.  Ick.  At least the daily stuff isn't
    particularly icky.  Almost tasteless in water; a little lemon and its ok. 

0423 Tu
  % dream involving a business that was shutting down
  * up 6:00; W=202.8; d, n, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  * To work with N.
  * finally wrote some code (a wrapper) and got it to compile.
  * Home with N; visit the kitties.  Terribly cute, of course, and about 75%
    bigger than they were 2 weeks ago.
  @ wishing flags | gregfallis.com

0424 We
  % dream involved staying in a hotel, with three cats.  We had somehow
    accumulated a turntable, something else electronic, and quite a lot of food
    that we had to pack up.
  * up 6:30; W=202.8; d, n, l; 
  * bus to work; brought Thinkpad keyboard.
  * lunch at Laadla, the Indian buffet on Fairview.
  * N. over for dinner, which the YD cooked.
  * wrote more checks for work on the house.

0425 Th
  * up 6:20; W=205.2; d, n, l; dishes
  * drive to work
  * drive to RE to unload the van and write check for the plumber
  * buy boxes, tape gun, perhaps at W. Seattle U-haul
  * ysabetwordsmith | What Is Skin Hunger?
  ~ put a walker in the van so Colleen will have it at RE

0426 Fr
  * up 6:33; W=203; d, n, l; exercise, dishes
  * drive honda to work in case I have to pick up Colleen and Devon.
  * 11am stairlift installation - N will take Colleen down at 9
  ~ 10-2 delivery window for sofabed in TV room -> they actually arrived about
    9am; called me at 8:30 as I was on the way to work from the parking lot.
    Fortunately, I was able to get back (just barely) in time for my 10:30
    meeting, and even got a parking slot next to the one I'd been in.  Win.

0427 Sa
  * up 8:30; W=203; d, n, l; dishes
  * 11am - Colleen - Dr. Chopra
  * Modern Farmer | Who Can Stop These Adorable Pigs? 
  * Down to RE with Colleen and Devon.  Colleen finally made it upstairs and saw
    the master suite!  She likes it!  YAY!
  : The front yard looks *fantastic*, and not all of it is even planted yet.
    The deck is great.
  @ ysabetwordsmith | Story: "For the Very First Time" virgin!fic with a
    demisexual character.  Like!

0428 Su
  * up 8:30ish; W=204; d, n, l; dishes
  @ Useful List of Responsive Web Design Tutorials 
  & Clear liquids :P  Colonoscopy prep.
  * 10am Magnesium Citrate
  * noon:  2l of PEG - 250ml/15m  *1200 *1215 *1230 *1245 *1300 *1315 *1330 *1345
  * hose
  * sweet rolls
  ~ extra-strength tylenol for N
  * water plants.  Turns out there was hose in the garage, which is also where
    the only functional hose faucet is located
  . 7pm:  remaining 2l of PEG     *1900 ~1915 *1930 *1945 *2000 ?2015 *2030 o2045
  * went through the remaining pile.  Failed to find the (second) parking
    ticket, but found the missing 1099s

0429 Mo
  * woke ~3:30; had trouble getting back to sleep
  * up 5am; put drugs in a bottle but forgot to bring it :P
    % even forgot nose-watering -- I'm not at my best at 5am
  * looked thrugh box again; did some sorting.  Somehow managed to lose the
    colonoscopy prep sheet!  Found the previous one.
  ~ leave 7->6am to catch the 309
    : lovely morning.  slightly misty; raining lightly in Seattle
  * 7:30 checkin 8th fl. 8am Colonoscopy.  Another one
    (actually arrived ~7am -- likely to be a long wait)
  ~ call Chipman to find out who they use in Seattle
     CHIPMAN RELOCATIONS,  8939 - SO. 190TH STREET, KENT, WA 98031 (425) 251-0562
     They called back while I was out
  * apparently had trouble getting to the end of my colon.  It's very twisty --
    why does that fail to surpise me?  2 polyps removed; will get get the report
    in a couple of weeks.
  % *so* glad I remembered to bring snacks.
  % I think I remember more of what went on than is usual. There was a great
    deal of pulling, pushing and shoving by multiple people, some of which hurt a little. 
  * 12:30 chills.  The coffee is instant :P
  ~ 3pm I get sprung -> about half an hour early, just as N was offering to come
    by and pick me up.  Win.
  % zonk.
  @ (comment in) ysabetwordsmith | Self-Soothing and Self-Control 
  " (16:52:13) mdlbear: There's a reason why people who have been drugged into
    unconsciousness aren't allowed to drive the same day -- I put the dirty
    laundry into the drier, and came within a half-second of adding the soap. :) 
  @ The Story of Our Time - Krugman - NYTimes.com 
  % 5:30 starting to feel vaguely human.
  @ ysabetwordsmith | Alternative Communication
  % TMJ pain - right joint; most of today and probably before.  Ouch.  2-4,
    averaging somewhere around 3-4 (?)
    @ Hyperbole and a Half: Boyfriend Doesn't Have Ebola. Probably. pain scale
  % more temperature regulation issues -- chills

0439 Tu
  * up 6:30; W=204; d, n, l;
  @ What If We Never Run Out of Oil? - Charles C. Mann - The Atlantic Methane hydrate
  @ Your Public Service Announcement: Not Every Attraction Is A Call To Action 
    i.e. it's ok to feel attracted to friends; you don't have to do anything about it.
  * Actually got some coding done, and put it up for review.  It's in a pitifully
    incomplete state, but so is pretty much everything else in the project.
  * pay bills

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done recently (20130411 Th - 20 Sa)

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:39:00 GMT

Somehow it doesn't seem as though much happened. A quick look at the house shows that this is not entirely true -- huge progress has been made on the improvements, tens of thousands of dollars have been flung around with abandon (including a 50% down payment on the landscaping, and starting a household checking and savings account), the front yard, massage studio, and lower front bedroom have been torn apart, several new holes have appeared, and so on.

None of this was my doing, of course, except for the financing. I have merely been plugging along at my job, filing the inevitable extension on my taxes, and generally muddling along considerably more slowly than I would like.

This week's quote/self-observation comes from Friday: "Middle-sized bears are extremely timid creatures, but are occasionally so oblivious that it doesn't matter."

Meanwhile, Seattle has been declared #2 among the 12 best places to live in the U.S.. San Francisco is #1. I think the Twin Cities cheated, with Minneapolis nabbing 12th place and St. Paul coming in 10th. (The differential doesn't surprise me -- St. Paul is a university town.)

Other good links amongst the notes, as usual.

0411 Th
  * up 6:30; W=203.4; d, n, l; dishes
  * drive to work
  $ RE: $15200 to Jim Reynolds via Visa; 50% down on landscaping
  & lunch:  gluten-free buns at Blue Moon Burgers.  Jen and John.
  * Colleen - GE appointment - N will take her; I should leave ~4:30 to pick up.
    -> Aetna still hasn't re-enabled my account.  Infuriating.
  @ The real reason for the PC sales plunge: The era of "good enough" computing 
  @ Bras Make Breasts "Saggier", 15-year French Study Reveals f(Elizabeth Barrette)
  @ BBC News - The myth of the eight-hour sleep f(Cathy Mullican)
  * Colleen needs to have a new patch put on

0412 Fr
  * up 6:30; W=203.6; d, n, l-; dishes
  * $700 to YD for driving lessons and CPR cert.
  * 7:15 leave apt so as to get to RE by 8
  " (08:40:21) mdlbear: Middle-sized bears are extremely timid creatures, but
     are occasionally so oblivious that it doesn't matter. 
  * 8-12 delivery window for couch -> 1-5 - truck broke down
  * $602 to Dennis Lee 
  * pay bills
  * left work early to deal with a minor screwup; a scant 4 hours for the day.
  : no route from polaris to nova; n. probably needs a reboot.
  & ordered lamps for the LR
  @ Ursula LeGuin: Song of Herself (thnidu)
  * Nova was dead - looked like a power supply problem, because the light would
    go on then immediately go off.  Replaced the 12V brick, and it worked.
    Alas, the TV does not have an external brick.  It's probably a goner.  And
    what does it take to kill equipment *through a UPS*?  Nasty.
  * helped Colleen take a shower.

0413 Sa
  * up 8:15; W=202.2; d, n, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  * Costco
  * Down to RE.  put up sign.
  * Get massage - mostly myofascial, with some sport for the tender points.
  * ordered handheld shower, kitchen faucet.  The latter I haven't received a
    confirmation email on, so may re-order from amazon if it fizzles.

0414 Su
  % woke up 4:30 with severe pain in right hand, around the base of the thumb.
    Took 3 aspirin and wrapped it to keep it immobile; was much better when I
    woke.  Took me an hour or so to get back to sleep.
  * up 8:15ish; W=200.0; d, n; 
    hand much better but still dicey.
  @ In the Pipeline: Things I won't work with Fun with chemistry
  * Grocery shopping with Colleen and the YD.  Much easier with the kid along.
  * To RE.  Repair sign, move mailbox, general cleanup of recyclage and trash.
    Our trash can seems to have disappeared.
  * Filed for extension on income taxes, since I haven't totalled the deductions,
    located the 1099 from unemployment, nor figured the rental income

0415 Mo Tax day
  * up 6:15; W=201.4; d, n, l; dishes
  * support@interiormark.com or by phone at (888) 602-7328 x 2. -> Sally
    ~H8239573 call 866-515-9875 for assistance or to schedule a different delivery date.
  * Walgreens:  pantsu

0416 Tu
  * up 6:25; W=201.4; d, n, l; 
  * carpool down with N
  * 12:30ish lunch with Mark
  * carpool back with N; set up household bank account.

0417 We
  * up 6:30; W=203.2; d, n, l;
  * set up personal account at BECU
  * booked D's shuttle trip to RE.
  * cut checks for N to take down Thurs.
  * N. visited, sans kids, briefly.

0418 Th
  * up 6:30; W=202.4; d, n, l; dishes
  * flower selection at RE - N will pick up Colleen
  * 1:50 Devon arrives at SEA on SW - to RE on Shuttle Express

0419 Fr
  * up 6ish; W=201.2; d, n, l; dishes
  * leave 7ish so as to get to UW by 7:45
  * 8am Colleen endoscopy - must be there by 7:45
  ~ forgot laptop charger - silly bear
  @ 2. Seattle - 12 best places to live in the U.S. San Francisco is #1
  @ Tanglu: bringing Debian testing to the masses [LWN.net]
  : N couldn't make it.  Stayed.
  & Ribs for lunch, per C's request.
  * support@interiormark.com or by phone at (888) 602-7328 x 2. -> Sally ext 119
    ~H8239573 call 866-515-9875 for assistance or to schedule a different delivery date.
    -> sending two people, upgrading to white glove delivery
    -> Friday 10-2
  * 4:30 Starbucks, Day1 N:  Michelle and Lexie
    Michelle lives about 5 blocks away in W. Seattle.
  @ Download the 80 best free fonts | Typography | Creative Bloq 
  @ Google Fonts

0420 Sa
  * up 8:15; W=201.4; d, n, l; exercise, dishes
  * run a load of boxes down to RE with Devon
  * second load, with Naomi
  @ re-read Path of the Paladins 
  & looked up and it was already 7pm.  Called Colleen, took N home.
  * very light dinner.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done this month (20130401 Mo - 10 We)

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 04:57:57 GMT

So... this update includes the entire month so far, and my first full week at Amazon. Don't expect me to say much about that; they're sticky about that kind of thing, with good reason. I can say that it's a very steep learning curve.

I've been carpooling with Naomi a couple of times a week; her school is an easy walk from work. It also forces me to get out of the apartment earlier, which is a Good Thing even if it does mean that I have to leave some of my blog-reading for evening.

Nothing like feeling overwhelmed at work, plus having unpaid bills come home to roost, to make me feel stupid. I know, that's the depression talking. But it'stalking really loudly! Which makes it kind of hard to ignore.

Hmm. OK, so here's the problem. Thinking about an expense like a parking ticket, some bills, etc. reminds me of how stupid I was to have incurred that expense in the first place. So I don't want to think about it. Which means that it goes unpaid for a little longer, which makes me feel even more stupid... See how that works? Feedback. :P

I've also been chronically sleep-deprived for most of the last couple of weeks. The fact that I *hate* going to bed early isn't helping.

Links in the raw notes, as usual.

0401 Mo
  * awake 5:45ish
  * up 6:10; W=203.4; d, n, l
  * work:  getting oriented with the tools
  * 12:30 meet N for lunch @ Cortiva - 3 blocks
  * Over to N's for dinner at J's birthday party.  (Held over until after
    Passover so he could have spaghetti and cake.)
  * Managed to get down to PetSmart in time to get food and bedding for the
    piggies; next door to Albertson's to get yogurt for Colleen and coffee for me.

0402 Tu
  * up 6:15; W=201.4; d, n, l; dishes
  @ ysabetwordsmith | Economics
  * 7:30ish expect N for carpooling.  She drives, I pay.  Works.  A more
    expensive than the bus (factor of 15 or so) but I get company and save time.
  * Lunch at Thai Curry Simple.
  * Home with N; worked out well, since she wanted to stop at Fred Myer, and I
    needed some things.
  * 18:35 BP=133/75, P=65
  * download Pantech Burst Upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich 
  : idiot bear.  Unpaid parking ticket came home to roost.

0403 We
  * up 6:20; d, n, l; dishes
  * "lunch" was most of a 6oz bag of almonds
  * Finally picked up my developer desktop machine at work -- a Lenovo
    "Thinkcentre" with Ubuntu... just before a long meeting that ended around
    5:30, so I got it all plugged together, but didn't turn it on.  Tomorrow.
  @ ysabetwordsmith | Story: "Touching Moments" (Part 1 of 8)
    I'm pretty sure this is the first story about massage that I've ever seen.

0404 Th
  * up 6:15; d, n, l; dishes
  * Got the dev environment installed at work, as well as x2vnc (with TightVNC
    on the Windows lappy).  Needless to say, $A's way of setting up a system is
    arcane and weird, but that's partly because it's also the way they deploy
    onto servers.  It clanks, but there's a reason for that.
  @ StatusNet, Identi.ca, and transitioning to pump.io [LWN.net]
  * tax: Clear (linux box) Harmony off desk, move mac, track down and sort tax
    forms, install (previously purchased) tax software.
  * consed up a lease for Naomi, using LawDepot

0405 Fr
  * up 6:30; W=201.4; d, n, l; dishes
  * gradually relearning why I hate RedHat.
  * gradually learning about the $A software environment.
  * Book:  Hiroshima, by John Hershey.  I remember reading it
    back in high school, during a couple of otherwise-boring visits to a
    cousin's house.  Harrowing, of course.
  * Book:  The Keeper by H. Beam Piper
  * Book:  The Last Enemy by H. Beam Piper
  : ... and $RandomPerson is still on my phone bill.

0406 Sa
  * up 6:20; W=201.4; d, n, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  * put rug in van.  Brief panic when realizing that I had to squeeze the
    scooter in as well.  Eeep!
  * 10:20 Colleen followup with Dr. Chopra
  * noon cabinets at Direct Buy
  * sport massage from N
  & Had trouble finding the input source button for N's new TV.
  ~ 7pm doors open at Triple Door
  ~ 8pm Janis Ian - Saturday, April 6th Triple Door, Seattle, WAr 
  * dinner at Mazatlan (w/ Colleen and YD); shopping.  Much easier with somebody
    in the car who has a functional back.
  * ... and now C's TV doesn't work.  Won't turn on.  Bummed.  Put new batteries
    in the remote; it has power...  Weird.  Maybe leaving it unplugged overnight
    will help.  C seems to think the the YD has some magic power over TVs.  Nope.

0407 Su
  * up 8ish; W=202.2; d, n, l; dishes
  : Got up to discover that the UPS had turned itself off overnight.  DO NOT LIKE.
  @ Caramelization: new science, new possibilities - Curious Cook +Cymru Llewes
  @ Out on the tiles
  * bring down N's massage file box.
  * Stop at Walgreens for C's prescriptions.  Found that my insurance has been
    terminated as of 4/1.  Damnit, I faxed the form in on 4/2.  Well, I have 10
    days from receipt...  But if I'm not covered for this month I am pretty
    badly hosed.
  @ Brilliant and bejeweled prostheses designed to stand out instead of blend in 
  @ The Motley Moose:: Thursday Coffee Hour: Thoughts On Turning 65 (fb)
  * Chaos and Rabbit arriving 2ish
  : Oh, and of course the little travel router I set up at RE is dead.
    I'm guessing power glitches
  * went to Staples with Glenn; got a Netgear N750 router & a pair of
    outlet-expander surge protectors (only 4 outlets, but they *rotate*
  : The toilet in the master bath isnt flushing properly.  Not enough water
    pressure.  N. will mention it to the plumber.
  * went to Home Depot with Glenn; got a Ryobi 18V weed-whacker.  Has a Li-ion
    battery that appears to be compatible with my drill!  Big win.
  * had to make an extra trip down to W. Seattle to retrieve the fish that Chaos
    wanted to take home, and left on the kitchen island counter.  :P
  & locked front and kitchen doors.  Gotta stop leaving those open...

0408 Mo
  * up 6:30; W=201.4; d, n, l; 
  * ordered Horsetamer
  *  Drove to work so that I could get to N's in time to see kittens
  * REI at lunchtime.  Got an RFID-proof wallet, a luggage strap (to use as a
    belt), and a chalk bag for Colleen's scooter.
  * saw the kittens after work.
  * faxed in the continuation of benefits form.  Again.  If he doesn't get it,
    I'll email a photo.
  * Did data-entry on the major income items; my refund will be about 38K due to
    the huge dump from my old 401K, all of which got rolled over except for the
    withholding. 

0409 Tu
  * up 7ish; d, n, l; dishes
  @ Someone you know ill? Watch what you say, and to whom Ring theory
  % ran to catch a bus twice today.  Not as badly out of shape as the last time
    I tried it.  Yay!
  * take N to repair place to pick up her car
  @ You Cannot Run a Public Service like a Business, and Here’s Why f(Terence Chua)
  @ Inspiration and Chai - Regrets of the Dying
  * bed around 10:30
  
0410 We
  * up 6:20; W=202.8; d, n, l; dishes, 
  * moved to Obidos 04-101 to be with the rest of the group
  @ Zócalo Public Square :: How Doctors Die (Don Marti)
  * put a note under the office door to the effect that we're moving out May 31.
  * Got to bed around 10:30; sleep ~11ish

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done last month (20130321 Th - 0331 Su)

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:51:35 GMT

Long month, the last week and a half. Let's see. A week ago last Thursday I got an offer of a 3-month contract at Amazon, which I took immediately. Since it's through KForce again, I had very little paperwork to do and everything continues much as it has been. Colleen got her diagnosis of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, which is associated with immunosuppressant drugs, hypertension, low K and Mg. All of which she had.

Friday I cancelled my Norwescon concert -- I really wasn't ready, and was already under too much stress.

Saturday it looked as though Colleen was coming home, but by the time I got there her blood pressure had gone up to really scary levels, and they decided to keep her until it stabilized.

I spent most of the weekend shuttling back and forth between North Starport, Rainbow's End, and the hospital in between. I slept at RE, with Naomi and I keeping one another company.

Monday I picked up Chaos and Emmy, and went out to dinner for Emmy's 21st birthday. Blue C Sushi, which was expensive but able to satisfy the YD's craving for plum sake. I have two drinking-age children now.

I didn't notice any hill.

Tuesday Colleen came home. KForce called and told me I was supposed to start Wednesday.

As it turned out, my boss at Amazon had been expecting me to start on Monday the 1st (i.e., today), so things weren't quite ready for me. More or less ok, though; they were at least able to get me a badge and a laptop. (A Thinkpad T400, which isn't half bad.)

Last weekend was Norwescon. The "surprise open mic" that took the place of my concert was Saturday night, and I gave a perfect demonstration of exactly why I cancelled. GAAK. I should know better than to try to sing anything off book. Especially when I'm unprepared and stressed.

I was plagued by charger problems all weekend, but at least my computer charger worked most of Saturday when I really needed it to. The "geek toys" panel was a lot of fun. I read off the specs for the Cray 1 from the web browser on my phone, which had it beat by orders of magnitude. (How many orders of magnitude depending on which spec you looked at. 8MB of RAM? How... quaint.)

Sunday we had dinner at Romio's in Kirkland, on the way to take Chaos home.

Aha! moment -- I figured out that apologizing (which drives Colleen crazy) is my way of trying to make myself feel better after screwing up (especially in a way that hurts somebody else). It mostly doesn't work very well, and if Colleen tells me to stop, or I'm afraid she will, I can spiral downhill very quickly. (Started to write "downhell", which is actually a pretty good description of it. What was I doing in that handbasket, anyway?)

Didn't do a lick of open filking, but I enjoyed the concerts, and spent a fair amount of quiet time in the Green Room. Which was good for (introvert) me, even though I didn't realize at the time that it was what I needed.

0321 Th
  * up 8ish; d, n; shower, 
  * 10am Mike DiBasso - ESPN
  @ Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome 
    Associated with immunosuppressant drugs, hypertension, low K and Mg.  All of
    which she has.  So...
  : Got offer from Amazon  3 month contract
    ! relieved.  Not my first choice, but I'm not going to be picky.
  x noonish Susan coming to help with boxes
  * 1pm  Bigfish
  * Susan visited; took her to lunch in the caffeteria, then drove her to
    Northgate transit center.
  * 7ish pm moved into rm 341  Looks like a 1-bed room; we've slept in smaller (12x12)

0322 Fr
  * up 5:45; W=202.2; d, n, l, t; dishes, 
  ~ Colleen wants fill-ins, glasses (no fill-ins, but brought catalogs, kindle,
    and hairbrush).  
  : something heavy arrived at the apartment office.  From Wayfair.
  : 9:30 snowing fairly heavily.  Not sticking, but if it freezes tonight it'll
    be nasty
  * 10-12 Don Willis - chair
  * get to RE by 11, preferably earlier
  * 11:30 Carly - paperwork for Amazon
  * reschedule cabinets at DB for a Saturday
  ~ am: sofa (chaise?) delivery? Actually I suspect this was N's vanity, which
    was sent to the apartment.
  = the outside walls in the living room are concrete.  This complicates the
    office corner.  The craft corner is also complicated by the windows.
  * Colleen doing very well -- can come home tomorrow if BP down
  * cancelled NWcon concert; I think I can manage the panels
  : Got phone call from an AT+T rep about my bill screwup.  Said it looked
    fixed.  But in fact it is NOT fixed yet -- Ricardo is still on my bill, and
    I'm still getting another bill for Chaos with autopay turned on.  CRAP.

0323 Sa
  * up 6ish; d, n; 
  : Colleen called 6ish -- she's getting sprung between 8 and 9!
  : ... or else not -- her BP was still scary high at 8
  * drop by Naomi's and pick up 3 sets of sheets
  x 10am Dr. Chopra (drove up in case I had one too.  Didn't)
  & home depot, office max; power driver and soldering iron, ext. cord
  * fixed the scooter charger.  Really noisy fan, but the solder joint is nice
    and solid now.
  * Met Susan at the Northgate transit station, and took her down to RE because
    I was running late and N needed a set of sheets.
  * Wayward - Vixy and Tony.  With Susan and Naomi
  * Mar 23 23:23 - probably time to go to bed

0324 Su
  * up 7:30; W=201.2; d, n, l, E; dishes
  : 8ish call from Colleen - BP still too high, PRES still present.  CRAP.
  * needs fill-ins, frosted animal crackers, body butter, herbal tea
  = van easily holds 12 boxes; 20 if we allow two layers in back.  (only put in
    9 on the last trip, though :P)
  : 4pm BP looking good for the last 4 hours.  No headache, less mental fuzziness
    Tomorrow evening?  ! hopeful

0325 Mo
  * up 6:50; W=201.2; d, n, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  % have some kind of rash, mainly on my left arm.  Can't figure out what I
    might have been in contact with, though.  Put aveeno lotion on it.
  * My phone bill seems *finally* to have been straightened out.  After
    receiving a bogus bill.  But ok, I'll take it.
  : Colleen still not able to come home.  Now up in rm 547.  Tomorrow,
    hopefully.  They want to make sure her meds are stable.
  * Connected with Dennis at the house; paid his bill.
  & connected with Susan in Colleen's hospital room.  Nearly said "hotel"
  * get Chaos's zap oven to be "stored" at RE
  * pick up Chaos for YD's birthday dinner out.  AFK -> Blue C Sushi $$$ but good
  & brought the kids to see Colleen after dinner

0326 Tu
  * up 6:20; W=202.8; d, n; 
  % it is way too easy for me to fall back into "retirement mode"
  % R. knee twingeing -- put a brace on it.
  * Heard from KForce - I start at Amazon 9am tomorrow.  Hopefully
  = bamboo flooring $1.98 at Lowes!  Duplicated the house key
  * Colleen is home!!!!
  * dinner:  rice and chicken tikka masala
  * Susan came over (from/to N's) around dinnertime
  * Drove YD down to the house.  Somehow she managed to lose her ORCA card.

0327 We
  * up 6:20; W=201.8; d, n, l; shower, dishes
  : Tablet battery dead.  Will take lappy.
  * 8am drive down to Amazon.
  * 9am starting at Amazon.  Starbuck's  442 Terry Ave N. Seattle, WA 98109
    (PM) Marco was apparently expecting me to show up Monday.  Wish I'd known.
    May be a while before I get my badge and equipment.
  = Dawson 345 Boren, 9th fl.
    Amazon's "desks" are hollow-core doors attached to unfinished 4x4's with
    deck hardware.
  & stupidly misremembered which street my car was parked on, and wandered
    around the wrong block before finally getting it right.
  * 6pm at house to sign paperwork for painter.  Or else at apt to go look at
    kittens.  Depends on N's schedule

0328 Th - 31 Su Norwescon
  * up 7; W=200.8; d, n, l; dishes
  = (16:18:31) Naomi: Oh, I have a message for Colleen. The fireplace costs
    $3995 to get working again, plus a couple hundred for incidental cleanup
    work necessary after it's put together. If she can get more than that for
    her jewelry, I think we can do it. But I'll need to know what she's getting
    for it, for sure, not speculation, to be able to tell them to go ahead. 
  * Went to house, dropped off signed painting receipt; signed slabjack
    estimate.
  * Take the bus to RE after work to pick up the van.
  @ Think Your Money is Safe? Think Again: The Confiscation Scheme Planned for
    US and UK Depositors | Alternet THIS IS SCARY
  @ Earthships 101 part I - YouTube (siliconshaman | Ok,
    so this is where I'm aiming for.)
  @ Breakthrough research suggests simple ways to reverse chronic pain +Cymru Llewes

0329 Fr
  * up 6:30; W=201.4; d, n, l
  * cleaned up rotted fruit in the basket
  * packing:  CC+S stock.  10 copies. -> 5
  @ What does crowdfunding replace or displace? (angels, not VCs)
  * 9:30 meeting at A.
  * pick up the kids' luggage at RE on the way down to NWcon
  * rooms at La Quinta Confirmation No: 3147703274
    Check-In Date:  03/29/2013 Check-In Time: 15:00
    Check-Out Date: 03/31/2013 Check-Out Time: 12:00
    Room Type: ADA Accessible One King Bed
    The rollaway blocks the closet, and takes up most of the space, but at least
    the batroom is huge and accessible.
  % arrived at hotel totally out of cope.  Music and company helped, but...
  & dumb bear forgot figure-8 cord for computer charger, power strip.  :P

0330 Sa
  * up 8:15ish; d, 
  * stole cord from my CPAP, but the charger doesn't work anyway.  :P
  * The geek toys panel was fun.  I read out the specs for the Cray 1 on my cell
    phone, and some people showed up with multirotor drones.  A couple of good
    toys in the audience, too.
  : ... and now my charger is working, so I'm going to stay put and charge for a
    while. ... and now my phone isn't charging.  The connector on the phone, I'm
    pretty sure. -> seems to work fine after reboot :P
  : OK, so "pony prog rock" isn't my thing.
  @ Mirko Ilić Corp. Illustration
    Source of the "Liberty and Justice" pic that's been going around.
  @ The coming evangelical collapse - CSMonitor.com One could hope
  @ Persona | MDN (via LWN)
  @ Responsive Web design - Web Development | MDN 
  : ... and of course the laptop charger isn't working anymore.  Oh, well; it
    worked when I needed it most.

0331 Su
  * up 8:15; d, n
  * checkout at noon.  Got stuff down to the car in good time.
  & Spent a lot of time in the green room, having a couple of conversations and
    catching up on some quiet time (without really realizing what I was doing)
  x stop by RE after the con
  * dinner out:  Romio's in Kirkland, on the way home.
  % AHA!  apologizing is how I try to make myself feel better after screwing up.
    Especially after screwing up enough that somebody might have noticed.
  ! meltdown.  No idea what to call the associated emotion, but it's no fun.
    This was caused by stubbing my toe after Colleen had told me to stop
    apologizing for something else.
  % Also, being yelled at angrily seems to really make things worse.  If Colleen
    yells at me for apologizing -- or I'm afraid she will, which happens more
    often -- I can easily spiral downward out of control.  As I did tonight.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Colleen: home at last!

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 06:01:11 GMT

Colleen came home this evening, after 12 hours shy of a week in the hospital. It took until nearly 5pm to get her discharge paperwork, and then we had to stop off at Walgreen's to get her new prescriptions filled. Some high-powered anti-hypertension stuff in there: ACE inhibitor, beta blocker, calcium channel blocker, and a diuretic. Gleep.

But she's home, with normal blood pressure and with the PRES resolving, the UTI cleared up, and the pneumonia taken care of. Gleep gleep.

I can haz Colleen. That's the important thing.

... so I can start work at Amazon tomorrow. Tired bear is tired! Gleep.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Colleen: update.

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 23:34:22 GMT

Colleen's still in the hospital, at least until tomorrow. Her BP's doing really well, though, so there's a good chance she'll be going home then. Basically they wanted to make sure she's stable on the meds she can go home with.

She's in pretty good spirits, and looking much better than before, but of course she's bored and would welcome visitors and calls.

I'm holding up fairly well, but it's still tiring and frustrating. I'm getting a certain amount more stuff down to the house, though; that's good. 9 boxes yesterday, and 8 this morning; I have amost all of the boxes out of the middle of the living room floor now.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done the last two days (20130319 Tu - 20 We)

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:45:57 GMT

I had a long week the last two days. Tuesday evening, Colleen scared the heck out of me, driving off the path in her scooter, and reporting blurry vision and headache. She seemed really confused, as well. I gave her some aspirin, sudafed (she's been fighting a cold all week), and nose spray. It passed in about an hour, and she seemed perfectly normal by the time we went to bed, except for the headache.

I woke up at 3:30 am and was scared enough to dial 911.

She appeared to be having some kind of seizure. She was making incoherent noises, shaking, and had a little blood coming from the corner of her mouth which made me suspect (correctly) that she'd bitten her tongue.

The ambulance took her to Northwest, which is part of the UW system. She had another seizure in the ambulance, so there was no need to speculate on whether my initial guess had been correct.

I spent the rest of the long day in the hospital; she was transfered from the ER to the ICU a little before 9am. She spent the day with a breathing tube in place, unable to talk, although in the intervals when she wasn't heavily sedated it was clear that there really was a Colleen in there.

She had a CAT scan shortly after being brought in, which ruled out tumors, cancer, stroke, and aneurysm. With the really awful stuff ruled out, it looked as though the most likely cause was meningitis, so they started treating her with antibiotics and did a lumbar puncture to get a sample of her CSF to test. They also did an MRI, which was inconclusive.

The final results on the lumbar puncture came back this morning -- no meningitis. The MRI had some artifacts due to some wires in the breathing tube, but was clear enough for the neurologist to get a good idea of what was going on.

(TL;DR:) The most likely diagnosis at this point is something called Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (PRES) - a rare side effect of some immunosuppressant drugs, including the one she'd just increased the dosage of for her Crohn's disease, augmented by hypertension and low magnesium and potassium levels.

She's recovering well, and is currently in room 341 of Northwest Hospital in Seattle. She can have visitors. Norwescon is iffy.

But I was able to take a phone interview in the waiting room, and the interviewer said that he was going to recommend hiring me. So I have a 3-month contract at Amazon, Starting sometime next week.

0319 Tu
* up 7:15ish; W=202.4; d, n, l;
* 9am (from 1:30 Mo) call from IID
-> no match. Needs big data. Mongo, Cassandra, Hadoop, Map-reduce, Scala
Since this was the one in Tacoma, I am somewhat relieved.
* go over to N's and bring back the other box of boxes
~ Susan coming in the afternoon -> Th
= buffet: 64", breakfront 72", both 19" wide.
@ What PTSD is | Myke Cole (ysabetwordsmith)
* located the HIPAA form for Colleen's coverage to send to Aetna; went to N's
to fax it before heading down to the house with a load of boxes.
* 6pm Direct Buy member orientation
-> cabinetry appointment 11am next Wed.
Good prices on the toilets we want: KOHLER | K-3493 | Highline Classic Comfort Height two-piece elongated 1.4
gpf toilet with Pressure Lite flushing technology
: Colleen scared the heck out of me coming in after DB -- dizzy and confused.
Gave her afrin, aspirin, and sudafed; she seems to be doing better now.
-> in retrospect I should have turned around and taken her in to the ER
% 5am now beating myself up for waiting. It's clear that she was in bad
shape even then, but since she was recovering, no way to know.
% but she *did* appear to recover. Perfectly normal by bedtime. So...

0320 We
& 2:30ish am - Colleen had a seizure; called 911. At NW Hospital ER. DAMN!
! calm but scared. Starting to beat myself up over not bringing her in sooner.
: 4:30a intubated and sedated. Being admitted to ICU. No idea how I'm going
to pay for this. Trainwreck.
@ A Softer World: 946
" You and I will never be a great love story / That's OK / Let's see what
kind of story we'll be " Don't forget to look at the mouseover text!
: 6am - no word yet on where Colleen is. IDIOT BEAR!
: 7ish - appears to be meningitis. Not stroke, thankfully. And the ER doctor
said there's no way I would have known to bring her in last night. Helps.
: Has had CAT scan; scheduled for MRI and lumbar puncture.
x 8:15 checkin Radiology 10:00 Colleen - fluoroscopy -> called to cancel.
@ Steubenville: this is rape culture's Abu Ghraib moment
: 12:30ish - Colleen up n ICU; still sedated. The MRI will have to be redone
because she apparently wasn't sedate _enough_, which is not surprising
knowing Colleen.
: Her RN is named Susan, and the volunteer greeter is Colleen.
~ 1pm Mike? of Bigfish called; was in the middle of taking Colleen's history;
will call back tomorrow
: 2:30 C. woke up, was scared. not surprising.
% bored and drowsy waiting for my 4:30 call.
* 4:30 Amazon
-> guy said he would recommend hiring me. So... fingers crossed.
* N. came by and stayed with Colleen during about half the call, then for a
while afterward, and we had dinner in the caffeteria. Colleen was awake for
part of it. Not a happy cat, but definitely _her_. *so* good to know.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done last week (20130311 Mo - 18 Mo)

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:41:44 GMT

So... last week was both relaxing and stressful. It was my first full week after my contract ended, and included our second weekend in the new house. Saturday, in fact, we had our first event, a tea party catered by Friday Afternoon Tea.

I had several interviews, and one in-person interview. That was pretty good; my job search was really starting to heat up. I spent quite a lot of money on and around the house, some of it rather inadvisedly. We did save rather a lot by switching from a curved stairlift from Ameriglide (which we found out doesn't actually get permits or use licensed installers in Washington) to a pair of straight ones from Acorn. Saved $4k.

The house has a secret passage! Well, ok, it's a laundry chute. But it was a secret from me, anyway.

I'm going to cut this short (if you really want details, you'll find them in the notes) to get to the last two days, which were kind of harrowing.

0311 Mo
* up 8:15; W=202.4, d, n, l; dishes
~ 10am phone interview Internet Identity M. Atif Farid Director Software
Engineering- www.internetidentity.com -> no-show
* ran for bus -- very marginal, but I made it skin intact.
* 1:30 Mike and Zoe at Modis: 600 University Street Suite 3000 Seattle, WA
* 3pm call from Michelle and Denae Poss on Monday 3/11 at 3pm to
answer any questions you have around Amazon and prep you for your interview.
: less pressure than FTE. New component -- int'l invoicing.
: design all done; no code yet. Looking for very senior dev's; agressive schedule.
* grocery shopping with Colleen
* 7pm call re: $25K home makeover -> Direct Buy. Sounds a little marginal.
* print and fax stairlift signoffs (email from Eric)
* ask whether they take care of permits, or we have to do it.
-> They are apparently not concerned about this. They have an experienced
installer in WA. -> Still concerned.

0312 Tu
* up 6:30; W=203.2; d, n, l; dishes
* 7ish - get Colleen some pantsu at Walgreen's -> closed until 9
% I seem to have left my glasses at Naomi's last night. :(
* Leave at 7:45 -> 8; get off bus at 2nd and Marion
* 9 am Bookstore Bar at 1007 1st Ave - Luke Ailanjian
* 10am Limelight 1008 Western Ave #405 Seattle, WA 98104
Brandon. Andrew & Mike, Koichi (lunch), Johnathan
* directbuy ashley 888-870-5240x456 conf code XTT
~ matt 4259989463 referred by Marty; I'm pretty sure this has been done.
* email Eric about whether stairs are wood or carpet
* looking through the pile by the chair, and finding many unpaid bills.

0313 We. My birthday. Tomorrow is Pi Day, so this must be cake day.
* up 6:30; W=203.4; d, n, l;
* 7:30 wake Colleen
* 8:45 checkin 2nd floor radiology, 9:15 Colleen - MRI
: Google gave me birthday cakes for my birthday! Clever.
: 9:28 Lots of wifi in the waiting room but no phone. Grumpymaking
* I'll have to go out and just leave a message. The second floor is
underground :P Plenty of signal near the front door, plus desks with
power, landline, and ethernet. Win.
~ 10am call from Atif at Internet Identity (IID)
10:10 I will give him until 10:30. Emailed Karise and suggested 1:00-1:30
Her response: "this guy needs a keeper". Me too, actually.
: We have a pope. White guy from Argentina. Supposedly a "moderate",
whatever that means for a South American Catholic in the 21st Century.
@ The sins of the Argentine church | Hugh O'Shaughnessy| guardian.co.uk
~ 1pm expect call from Atif. Maybe tomorrow at 1pm?
x 3pm call to speak with the hiring manger at Amazon. -> no-show
@ The End of "Results Only" at Best Buy Is Bad News - Monique Valcour - HBR
Worse than Yahoo re: working from home and trusting/respecting employees,
ignoring decades of research.
* 5:15 21222 30th Dr SE bldg C120 Bothell 98021 Direct Buy's open house. $25K drawing
scammy, so don't blow the $$ on membership -> idiot bear bought one anyway.
N. said later that their prices were "typical" for the most part, though
there are definitely some that are low enough for us to probably make the
membership back.
% 3am why am I such a fscking idiot?

0314 Th Pi day
* up 6:30; W=205.0; d, n, l; shower
* My phone account is horribly screwed up, apparently from the combination of
installing a cellular home phone, and changing the billing address to mine
from Kat's. Somehow they added somebody else's cell phone instead of the
original home number, and left Kat on the old account.
-> I think I've been the line for two hours now. Phone on charger. Headset.
Jennifer was *incredibly* helpful. But I have to go down to the damned
store to get them to unscrew the bogus line. IDIOTS! 110min on the line.
% THIS WEEK IS FIRED
@ LG 2.3 Cu. Ft. Capacity Ventless Washer/Dryer Combo - WM3455HS
LG 3. 6 Cu. Ft. Capacity Ventless Washer Dryer Combo - WM3987HW
* 1pm expect call from Atif. -> FLAKED! AGAIN!
: DB doesn't have stair lifts. Did finally get my login, so could look at
prices. Not everything is on the website :( :P So you have to go in. They
may indeed be able to get the combo washer-dryer. But N doesn't want it in
the bathroom -- suggests closet. Maybe...
* Primarius 17000 with 90degree landings top and bottom - rated 275
Bruno would be 19360; 16500 without the landings.
* 3pm call to speak with the hiring manger at Amazon. -> no-show?
called nearly half an hour late, and my phone crapped out. I suspect the
charging connector is hosed. Didn't get many questions asked, because he
wanted to get to the technical questions. There's a general arch/set of
requirements but no design or code -> ground up.
~- what framework? Java/Spring extension of JSON
~- how much of the team is in place now?
@ Static site generators for building web sites [LWN.net]

0315 Fr
* up 6:30; W=203.4; d, n, l; dishes, light,
@ Open Source and the Obligation to Recycle (via G+)
: The =/+ key on this netbook is largely broken. So are the home key and the
middle mouse button. You have to hit them really hard to get them to
register. Growf!
* 8ish leave for RE
* 9:15 Slabjack (N. made the appointment; he was early)
* 9-10 Comcast
* Acorn stairlifts. Went with them and cancelled the Ameriglide -- two HD
straight segments came to ~$8K.
* 12-2 Delivery window for Don Willis
* 12-4 couch delivery. The purple sofabed for the TV room is still being built
* N scheduled a visit from the solar power people. If we can finance it, it
might be worthwhile.
x 2:30pm amazon2 -> didn't call
<- work hours. > 45/week is out
<- how long are sprints?
@ Grapefruit juice interaction with drugs can be deadly - CBC News
@ Book of Kells Now Free to View Online | Trinity College Library Dublin (ysabetwordsmith)
* bring from home/N's : tools (hammer and multidriver at least), router, end
tables. -> brought a Linksys travel router, since I don't seem to have any
extras.

0316 Sa
* up 7:30; W=201.4; d, n, l; shower, exercise
! YD upgraded the OS on her laptop and it broke because it doesn't have drivers.
@ Phantom of the Opera- Lindsey Stirling - YouTube ()
& (11:15:32) mdlbear: I managed to find the option on Emmy's repair disk that
restores her system to factory defaults.
(11:15:43) mdlbear: *whew*
(11:16:25) mdlbear: She made a repair disk; it was just confusing as heck to
find the right option.
(11:18:04) mdlbear: I told her what I'd done and she said "I don't know what
that means, but you're the best daddy in the whole wide world" and kissed me
on the nose.
* set up the end tables and one bench.
* tea party at Rainbow's End
* finally got the little Linksys working -- had to power-cycle the modem to
get it to give the router a lease.
* measure bedroom: 11'4" x 19'4"; bathroom/closet hallway 5'5" x 9'10"
* Took Colleen and Emmy home, then took Susan home by way of N's.

0317 Su St. Patrick's Day
* up 7ish; W=201.6, BP=130/74, P=60; d, n, l; dishes
% I suspect that a lot of my recent weight gain was due to salt in restaurants
@ God Damn It, Google | TechCrunch
@ Celtica | Pipes Rock! (ysabetwordsmith, siliconshaman)
Also Scottish Raggae The Lion sleeps tonight Highland Games Fehraltorf 2011
absolutely freaking whacko. A rock band with bagpipes and firespinning.
@ Pagans and Saint Patrick's Day: The Real Meaning of the Holiday
* Grocery shopping - investigated PCC Market
* Drove N down to the house
* stupidly left phone at house
& (19:29:12) ***mdlbear has just cleaned the drawer and bottom shelf of our
fridge, which *really* *needed* *to* *have* *been* cleaned*.
(19:30:46) mdlbear: This involved multiple deep knee bends, which is not an
exercise bears are well adapted for.
* cod and broccoli for dinner.

0318 Mo
* awake 5:30; searched for a good desk clock widget
* up 6am; W=202.4; d, n, l; dishes
& leftover fish and broccoli for breakfast
* load van. Art (cardboard boxes), a tea box, kitchen towels, etc.
* wake YD at 8am, then leave
* 9-12 person from Emerald City Appliance Repair for dishwasher
-> works. Not clear that there was anything wrong with it, but the warranty
on the service call is good for 90 days, so if anything else goes wrong
he'll come out and fix it for free.
= measure upstairs bathroom: tub area ~5' Putting in a corner tub might
involve moving the wall heater.
= the MBR closet not only has enough space on the side toward the bathroom for
a washer, it has a *laundry chute* going down to the laundry, from which
pipes could be run. Would take putting something in front of them, but
that'll want to be done anyway.
= the MBR shower needs new fixtures. The current ones are decrepitating.
= gas pipe to LR fireplace *broken*; plumbing and wiring just plain bizarre.
There was Cat-5e at least along the S. wall on the main floor.
* Went to the AT+T store in Northgate; they say it will take a day or more
because they have to make contact with the person who was randomly added to
my bill.
* Chicken thighs and pasta for dinner. My idea, though it was Colleen's idea
for me to cook on the YD's day because she wasn't home yet.
* Over to N's to deliver something she'd forgotten to get out of the van
yesterday, and to tuck in the kids.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done last week and a bit (20130302 Sa - 11 Su)

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:30:39 GMT

WE GOT THE HOUSE! It was really down to the wire; I think the underwriter got the last little detail confirmed with my bank on Friday morning, then closed at 11am. The realtor came by to drop off the keys at about 2:30, and I left Disney at about 3:30, having gotten my last bit of work signed off and my timecards put in.

Big sigh of relief.

Backing up to the previous weekend, I spent a lot of time at Consonance catching up with friends, doing a very little singing, and showing off pictures of the house while continuing to worry about whether we'd actually get it.

At Saturday's open filk I sang "Middle-Aged Bear" (it was a good follower to something else with a bear in it), and swan-songed on QV. Quite a few people didn't seem to have heard it before. Some of them looked kind of stunned, and Colleen sent a box of tissue around.

We discovered Saturday that Colleen's scooter charger had a broken wire in the connector -- I went to Fry's Sunday morning to get a battery-powered soldering iron and some assorted tools, including a nice little Gerber multitool with pliers.

Spent a lot of time Monday doing laundry. I'm pretty sure I don't have the stamina -- or the budget -- for flying to more than one con/year with Colleen. It's a much bigger production than going solo.

Tuesday through Thursday passed in something of a blur. Friday Naomi picked me up after work, with her kids, and we spent some time in the house. Our house.

Saturday involved a lot of driving, between getting three loads of stuff down to the house, taking Emmy down to Seatac for a Norwescon staff meeting, picking up her and Chaos afterwards, driving Colleen down... Susan made dinner for us, all very improvised, and Colleen and I, our kids, and Naomi spent our first night at Rainbow's End.

Colleen declared afterward that she wasn't spending another night there until it's all accessible -- that won't be for another month at least, when the stairlift gets installed.

Thankful Th... um, ok, Friday

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 06:37:58 GMT

Today I am thankful for...

OUR HOUSE! Well, ok, the bank's house, but it's ours as long as we keep paying them. It closed today, and I have keys in my pocket.
A fantastic real estate agent, Dave Reith, and mortgage broker, Kathryn Seymour of Evergreen Loans.
My former coworkers at Disney. The timing of my contract's ending, which kept me employed exactly long enough for the house to close.
A lender who understands about how contracting works, and who let the loan go through anyway.
Overestimating the closing costs by $15K.
Colleen, Naomi, and our kids.
Feeling at home.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done this week (20120225 Mo - 0301 Fr)

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 17:54:06 GMT

Did I mention that I hate roller coasters? This last week has been one.

Tuesday started out great -- Naomi picked me up and drove us down to Cortiva, her massage school, which was having a free clinic day. I had two lovely massages, concentrating on my back, shoulders, arms, hands, and calves. N's new GF was there, too. We had a couple of nice talks.

Then at 4pm I was in a suspiciously small meeting with Ryan, the manager in charge of the Disney ID group, who had hired me back in October. Sure enough, there had been a surprise budget cut. My last day will be March 8th.

Same day as the house closing. Oops.

From there it was all downhill; I gave the bad news to our real estate broker, who at first said to go through with it anyway, and then had second thoughts. Thursday I spent packing, trying to work from home, fielded a phone call from a headhunter and a phone interview with Limelight Video Platform. (I now have three headhunters and one company recruiter working on the problem, and it looks as though there won't be much more than a few weeks of gap between jobs.)

I also spent Thursday getting more and more fragile and frazzled; by the time we got to the airport I was pretty much a wreck, and by the time we finally got in to the hotel and got to bed I was seriously depressed.

Sometime Friday morning, while I was out at Fry's buying a new power brick for the netbook (I'd brought one; I just didn't realize that it was still set up for Colleen's Dell), I got a call from the mortgage broker, Kathryn, who said that the deal was still on. She'd explained to Dave that, although Disney had terminated my contract early, I was still employed by the contract agency, KForce. SHE UNDERSTANDS!

Now, if only the underwriter understands. That's still a risk, and I'm not going to be comfortable until I have the keys in my hot little hands. It could make my last day at Disney rather interesting.

And we could still end up with no house, and a pile of new furniture in our living rooms. If that happens, Naomi wants to build. I think that could work, but only if we can figure out ways to cut the price drastically; a first cut put the construction costs at around $700K, which is about twice what I'd feel comfortable with.

This old spectacled bear is, I'm afraid, also a skeptical bear.

But, after spending much of Friday afternoon chasing down pay stubs and bank statements and emailing them to Kathryn, I felt much more relaxed. Margaritas, prime rib, and hugs from friends completed the process, and it looks like I'll actually be able to enjoy the con.

Did I mention that I'm at Consonance this weekend? I apparently hadn't mentioned it before, leading to several people wondering whether we'd show up this year. There were times when I had my doubts.

0225 Mo
  * up 6:20; W=203.4; d, n, l; dishes, light
  * walk:  only to Office Max and back.  Uninteresting.
  
0226 Tu
  * N will pick up between 7:30 and 7:45
  * 8:30 Massage clinic - ride down with Naomi  Two massages, from Jennifer and
    Cassandra.  Back, back of legs, shoulders; arms/hands, back.  Nice.
  * Cortiva charges $35/hour for student massages; $25 for seniors (55+)
  : laid off.  One of -six- _8_ people let go, so 15-20% of the group.  Things are
    already in motion; hopefully I won't be out of work long.  Told (realtor)
    Dave; his response after I told him that I think I can handle a couple of
    months between jobs was "We didn't have this conversation." 
      The timing sucks -- my last day is March 8th; same day as house closing. 
  * Contacted Lexie at KForce, via Ashley
  " C:  We'll make it.
    me: Naomi thinks so, too.  I hope so.  
    C:  _You_ take a lot of convincing.
    me: Skeptical bear.
  "

0827 We
  * up 3:35; W=203.4; d, n, l; dishes
  @ 'Social Reading' The Next Phase Of E-Book Revolution (Jamey Graham on LinkedIn)
    " To get at that serious information, read it and discuss it freely, McGuire
      thinks within the next five years, every page of every book will become
      its own searchable webpage with its own URL. 
    " -- cf Penguinsong.  -- Maybe...?
  * humira
  * Contacted Karise
  * more with Lexie.
  * two phone calls lined up for tomorrow:  roosterpark and limelight
  * Dave Reith called; we're still in trouble.  Need to contact KForce tomorrow
    and find out *exactly* what the story is.
  @ How to create social media interaction for small business websites |
    TechRepublic (via Andrea Dale on LinkedIn)
  * Today's mail included the loan packet from Evergreen, to be signed and
    mailed back.  But can I do that now?  Crap.
  * print boarding passes
  
0228 Th
  * check hotel; adjust check-in date if necessary -> it was necessary
  * rent car Avis 26946182US4
  * 1:30 limelight competitor of brightcove limelightvideoplatform.com
  * pack 
  * Walgreen's - pantsu, pink pads, my prescriptions, chair pads
  [ N's phone not working:  grace's phone 206-380-8911.,]
  * 4:30 leave LFP -> more like 4:45 or 5
  * 6:10 be at airport
  & forgot Colleen's cane; wrong plug on charger.  Idiot bear.  Extremely
    frazzled when leaving; close to breaking down in room.  I hate this.
  * Traveled without Chami -- just Red (the shoulder bag), the CPAP bag (which
    flies for free as medical equipment), and Plink (whose bag is big enough for
    my jacket as well).  One suitcase each.  *finally* figured out how to carry
    the Hartmann bag -- extend the handle on *both* suitcases, and hook one of
    the H's handles over each.
  * They put us in one of the corner suites, with a booster seat on the toilet
    and a grab rail on the tub.  Getting into the bathroom is a little tight for
    Colleen, but she has a huge amount of room to maneuver in the bedroom.  It's
    a little odd sleeping on the "wrong" side of the bed.

0301-3 Consonance - Milpitas Crowne Plaza
  x probably work best if we drive down, and I drive back with Stuff.
  ~ Hotel 0301 Fr - 0304 Mo Acknowledgement #: 326N738G (408) 321-9500 
    2 Double Beds Nonsmoking Check-In: 03/01/2013 Check-out 03/04/2013
  * Seattle/Tacoma, WA - SEA  to  San Jose, CA - SJC 02/28/2013  -  03/04/2013
    08:10 PM	Depart Seattle/Tacoma, WA (SEA)		Flight #3216 
    10:20 PM 	Arrive in San Jose, CA (SJC) 		Travel Time 2 h 10 m

0301 Fr
  * up 7ish; d, n, t
  * breakfast buffet.  The restaurants, downstairs, are still being remodeled;
    they set up the buffet in one of the ballrooms, and the restaurant menu is
    being served out of room service with no delivery fee.
  * Went to Fry's (for netbook charger) - they had refurb iGo Greens
  * call from (loan officer) Kathryn -- apparently the deal's still on -- they
    understand about contract agencies!
    ! a bit dazed.  Cautiously optimistic
  * Bischoff's and ABC Medical
  * Updated LinkedIn profile.
  * Spent quite a bit of the afternoon chasing down both a decent connection and
    the last bits of documentation that Kathryn needed.  Finally gave her login
    info over the phone for a couple of accounts (UB and the paystub site).
  * Margaritas in the "bar" -- the 12th floor lobby.
  * Out to Black Angus for dinner -- pieces of dead cow.  Prime rib.  I don't
    have it all that often.
  * heard most of Scott Snyder's concert from the hall outside, talking.  He's
    an amazing guitarist. 
  * no singing today.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done last week (20120216 Sa - 24 Su)

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:41:42 GMT

It's been a long month this past week. Our mortgage broker failed to get us a loan -- we didn't get this finally confirmed until Thursday, but it had been crumbling for a week. Our realtor, who obviously has a considerable interest in our closing the deal, found another mortgage broker. She claims, on the company website, to have a 100% success rate. Still waiting.

(Meanwhile, interest rates have gone down a little. Every silver lining has a cloud around it?) And my tenants at the house formerly known as the Starport asked whether I might be interested in selling the place. To which the answer was hell yes! (I'm looking at adding over a half megabuck to my debt. Yes, I can use it.)

This Saturday we went to the Seattle Home Show with Naomi and her new GF Susan. Lots of fun, and a trifle expensive. But we found what looks like the right gardener, and spoke with what looks like the right contractor. And found what looks like the perfect power lift recliner. Now all we need is the house to put them in...

Sunday I actually got in some good walking -- home from N's after taking the Honda back.

There are links in the notes, as usual. I'm going to post this and try to get to bed; I've been sleeping badly recently.

0216 Sa
  * up 5:56; W=201; d, n, l; dishes, shower, exercise
  * registered rainbows-end.net and rainbowsendmassage.com
  * out with Colleen and the YD to Alderwood.  The YD had sociology homework to do.
  @ Open Source Pushes 3D Printers to Success | Linux.com 
    Guide to Open Source and Linux-Compatible 3D Printers, Part Two (LWN)
  @ 12 Steps to Incorporate Exercise into Your Life (LinkedIn) but...
    "3.  Find your favorite exercise...  Out of all the forms of exercise out
    there, find one you just love." Sure.  But that assumes there _is_ one.  Or
    that I knew how to find it in a finite amount of time.
  * Played guitar on "Gripping Beast" and "The Book Speaks", and sang QV, for N
    and her new friend Susan.
  * over to N's after dinner to deliver the chair (still boxed from shipping)

0217 Su
  * up 8:15; d, n, l; 
  * up to Lynnwood with Colleen to fetch the wolfling, then to Costco and QFC.
    Having a kid to help with loading/unloading was a major win
  * Salmon, caprese (Kat's request), and rice with quinoa or dinner.  The salmon
    was done with lemon, a trace of pepper, and a little rosemary sea salt.  Yum
  & Took some of the caprese over to N before taking Chaos home

0218 Mo - Presidents' Day
  * up 6:30; W=200; d, n, l; dishes, exercise, light
  * WFH
  * Angie of Angelwear over to help Colleen deal with her jewelry
  * 3:30 over to N's to talk to the gardener

0219 Tu
  * up 6am; W=200; d, n, l; dishes, light
  * frustrating day at work.  One of the services I'm testing is not
    cooperating.
  * N needed help with the kids in the evening.
  * books: Finished Time Traders by Andre Norton

0220 We
  * up 6:35; W=199.8; d, n, l; dishes, light
  ! very scared/worried about the loan
  * struggling with multiple kforce-related sites
  * 9:30 get Colleen up
  * 11:00 Dentist - Colleen: teeth cleaning
  * 12pm Dentist - me: teeth cleaning
  * got down to work ~2pm  Meetings from 3 to 5.  Left ~6:30.
  * Lunch from the Indian place at 3rd and Madison.
  @ The Ferrett's Journal - Why Facebook Is Gonna Shrink And Die 

0221 Th
  * up 7ish; W=200.8; d, n, l;
  * Our mortgage broker failed to get us our loan :(
  * Noon:  free symphony concert at City Hall.  Talked to Mark afterward.
  : Colleen sent out for Chinese.  Not complaining
  * Our realtor found us another mortgage broker who says we're approved.  Will
    get paperwork tomorrow.

0222 Fr
  % 4:30am: awake since 3:30. worried about money. Getting our dream house,
    which looks like it will happen after all after our first mortgage broker
    failed to find us a loan, is one thing. Paying for it after I'm too old to
    work is another.
  * back to bed ~5am; dozed
  * up 6:30; ; d, n, l; shower, exercise
  @ Daily Kos: The GOP's branding problem is worse than you think
  @ Autostraddle — Claudia Is Intersex, Let’s Talk About It (ysabetwordsmith) 
  @ Deep Inside - A Study of 10,000 Porn Stars | Jon Millward - Blog 
  * progress on loan, via Kathryn at Evergreen Home Loans
  * walk:  4th, 3rd and Pike
  * finished all tasks for this sprint, plus one that I had actually finished
    coding before it was moved into the backlog, where I found it languishing.
  * Update Colleen's netbook; (re)install Chrome

0223 Sa
  * up 8ish; W=202.4; d, n, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  * noonish expect Susan; go fetch Naomi; go to house and garden show
  * Home show -- arrived around 2pm; left when it closed at 8.
    lots of good contacts, and some purchases.  May have to back out of the
    hot tub, depending on how finances work out.  Found the best landscaper.

0124 Su
  * up 10:05; W=202.4; d, n, l; light
  @ A lap desk & stand for the iPad - GroovBoard (Inkygirl.com) 
  @ Why We (Still) Believe in Working Remotely « Blog – Stack Exchange 
    (via Mary Branscome on LinkedIn) 
    fallout from Yahoo's misguided decision to do away with working from home
  * walk: back from Naomi's after driving the Honda over
  * dinner:  chili, with caprese (Chaos did the assembly) and rice
  * Rabbit is going back to his former occupation as a used car salesman.
  @ Marriage proposal in the form of a physics paper - Boing Boing
  @ Daily Kos: The Church, humility, and an upcoming war for relevance 
  @ Reasonably Well: Your Input, Please (kyrielle) 
    RFI on ePatients - educated, empowered, equipped, and engaged

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done this week (20120210 Su - 15 Fr)

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:40:55 GMT

... so it looks like the loan will go through for buying our dream house, Rainbow's End. This last week was rather hellish -- among other things, the appraiser transposed some digits, and came in with an appraisal for 434 Leigh in San Jose, rather than 343. Cue huge kerfuffle and a quick-turnaround re-do. It was still lower than we needed, apparently, so we can't count the rental income toward my income, and my required mortgage insurance will be higher. We'll refinance when we sell the Starport; hopefully it will be worth more by then.

In other news, I had a colonoscopy (routine screening; nothing to worry about; recommended for anyone over 50) which will have to be re-done because I was too full of sh*t. I.e. the laxative didn't work well enough. WTF?

As usual, there are some links in the notes.

0210 Su
* awake at 3:40; took a while to get back to sleep.
& discovered when I got up that the UPS had switched off! Weird. Power glitch?
* up 7:15; d, n, l; dishes, light
@ naamah_darling | On inspiring displays of disability.
@ Cecilia Kang Is Right: There Really Could Be A Free National WiFi Network
(of Networks) -> Tech, telecom giants take sides as FCC proposes large public WiFi networks
@ PULP-O-MIZER: the custom pulp magazine cover generator
% (18:25:20) ***mdlbear relaxes. I made a tasty dinner.
(18:26:05) mdlbear: Of course, I bought about twice as much tilapia as I
needed. Not complaining.

0211 Mo
* up 7:15; W=199; d, n, l; dishes,
* Got off to a really late start. Left the apt at 8:30.
* fax latest Wells report to John : 206-217-0591, or send PDF by email (better)
* fax purchase contract addendum to Dave, 206-420-4367
* Finally got the last bit of "ready for QA" stuff from the last sprint
working and pushed through. Basically spent all day trying to get the dev
environment to work; gave up and went back to qa, which worked flawlessly
this time. Some day I'm going to have to figure that stuff out.
& Discovered that 2013/01.done didn't exist. Used gitk and found out that I'd
appended it to 2012/01.done! Silly bear! Not exactly clear how I did that.
* discovered at 10pm that I hadn't updated at all today. Gleep!
* humira

0212 Tu
* up 5:30; W=200.2; d, n, l; shower, exercise, dishes, light
: high praise for whoever decided to explicitly mention black coffee in the
list of allowable "clear liquids"
@ Health Testing on Mice Is Found Misleading in Some Cases - NYTimes.com
@ Locking the bad guys out with asymmetric encryption | Ars Technica tutorial
@ PSA: Don’t upload your important passwords to GitHub | Ars Technica DUH!
@ Backing up to DreamObjects with Duplicity
* apply for social security
* WFH
* Put boxes of furniture into van.
* Glenn came over for dinner; helped unload the van into N's garage.
% laxative didn't start working until about 8pm. Could have been worse.
* call a cab for tomorrow at 6:45
* put together everything for a quick grab-and-go
% with nothing to eat all day, I'm feeling cold. But not hungry. Interesting.

0213 We
* up 5:45; W=200.2; -, n, l;
* pack up CPAP for procedure.
@ Spots vs Games Workshop - Mcah Wiki
* 6:45 cab arrives
* 7:30 - Harborview colonoscopy Dr. Strate. 6 hours. call Arlene
206-744-2793 at least 2 weeks ahead -> called me, so ok.
-> inconclusive -- still full of shit :(
-> too murky; have to do it again. :( :( Gluten-free sandwich!
I didn't remember taking my drugs; the sedative definitely interferes with
memory. So... yeah; I can see why they don't want you driving home.
* call Wells Fargo and liquidate account
mary.nilson@wellsfargoadvisors.com 408-244-3500 | 800-678-8038 Fax: 408-244-3027
* got sprung 2pm; very hungry by the time I got to work
* put in about 4 hours' work -- 3 in office, 1 in recovery room
@ elf: Rider-Waite deck now in public domain
* cleaned the piggies' cage

0214 Th
* up 6:30; W=200.2; d, n, l; dishes,
& spent too much of the work day on a kerfuffle with the house -- the
appraiser had done 434 Leigh instead of 343! Gaak! Fixed by end of day,
but it was a near thing.

0215 Fr
* up 6:40; W=199.0; d, n, l;
* walk: 4th, 1st and Railroad Beautiful day, pleasant, a little
farther than usual.
* It looks like our loan went through! HOUSE! The appraisal on the Starport
still didn't come in high enough to help. So I qualified for a loan with
5% down and no rental income. They apparently think I can pay off both
mortgages. Say WHAT? I'll take it.
: I should get my first social security payment in April.
* Got some extra tasks laid on for this sprint. They're functional tests and
structurally almost identical to the ones I've been working on. So, easy.
Took lappy home so I can work Monday.
* N came over for dinner; afterwards we looked at artwork and jewelry. And a
toast to the new house.
% Did something very unpleasant to my left knee, just by crossing my legs.

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Done this week (20120204 Mo - 0209 Sa)

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:41:23 GMT

Almost a week. Starting out rather rough: the YD was injured in a near-accident on the bus on Monday, Colleen had an endoscopy appointment on Wednesday (mine is this week), and in between I was very stressed and close to overload. This makes bears grumbly. Grumble.

On the other paw, the house gets closer and closer to reality. It's going to be a strange household -- strange even by Seattle polyamorous fandom standards, I suspect -- but it'll work. It'll work precisely because of its strangeness. Hmm. That really wants a separate post, doesn't it?

It's not something I ever expected. Living with kids younger than my younger brother's grandkids? Taking on over half a megabuck in debt when I'm old enough to retire? Am I crazy? Of course. And I have the prescriptions to prove it.

Quite a few excellent links, spanning much of the Space Marine kerfuffle.

0204 Mo
  * up 7:11; W=199.2; d, n, l; dishes, light
  ~ cancel dental appointments for Tuesday -- won't be feasible (Colleen did it)
  * walk:  4, 3 and Pike.  
  * Buy:  iGo universal charger, at Office Depot.  It's smaller than the old one
    I gave to the YD, and has a USB charger.  Colleen is using it for her Dell
    netbook, until the one I ordered off Amazon arrives.
  * YD in a near-accident on the bus; she and several others were injured when
    the driver had to stop suddenly to avoid a car that cut in front of the bus.
  % Calmer after dinner, but very close to overload and on edge earlier in the
    afternoon and evening.  Between hearing about the YD, and having both my
    phone and tablet dead from lack of power, and Colleen and Naome both having
    computer trouble (of the simply-not-understanding-it sort), it was just a
    lot to deal with, I guess.  Hot buttered rum also helped.

0205 Tu
  * up 6:20; W=200.2; d, n, l; shower, dishes, exercise, light
  @ How Newegg crushed the “shopping cart” patent and saved online retail huge

0206 We
  * up 6am; W=199.6; d, n, l; dishes, light
  & skip breakfast -- will be eating out with Colleen.
  * 8:45 Colleen's endoscopy
  * lunch at Flo-Ana's diner
  * WFH in the afternoon.  Couldn't say I worked more than 5-6 hours.
  * N and the kids over for dinner.  YD came home in time to make lemon chicken,
    after I'd started the rice and defrosted and cut up the chicken.
  @ In the Future, All Space Marines Will Be Warhammer 40K Space Marines | MCAH Online
    and on LJ haikujaguar
    The comments are well worth reading, and many of the links worth chasing.

0207 Th
  * up 6:40; W=199.6; d, n, l; dishes, light
  * tracked down the appointment info and laxative prescription for next week.
    It's a different laxative from the one Colleen got
  * rather short walk
  * picked up the laxative at Walgreen's on the way home.
  * UW has Colleen's humira.  Both Walgreen's and Aetna bungled it.
  @ BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Great uncle aardvark? 
    A title stranger than fiction
  % 9pm very sleepy.

0208 Fr
  * up 6:20; W=199; d, n, l; dishes
  * 15min: a little work organizing the quick-link pages
  * pick up C's humira at UW.  Involves taking the 545 there, and the 372 home.

0209 Sa
  * up 8:30; W=199.8, BP=130/80, P=56; d, n, l; dishes, shower, exercise, light
  * humira
  @ Trademark Bully Thwarted: Spots the Space Marine Back Online | Electronic
    Frontier Foundation (via FB)
  @ Microsoft Death Watch – Office for Linux Rumour 
  @ Does Gestural Computing Break Fitts' Law? | MIT Technology Review 
  @ best. traceroute. ever. (annathepiper) 
    traceroute -m 200 216.81.59.173 #nice hack
  @ The craft that consumed me - Salon.com (flow)
  @ Re-Post: Philosophy and Light Bulbs | The Dream Café ysabetwordsmith
  * N. over in the afternoon; got a nice back/arm/neck/head/face massage.
  * Dinner:  chicken tikka masala.

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Done recently (20120131 Th - 0203 Su)

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 07:05:26 GMT

I finished my sales tax (a big zero) on Monday, and told the county assessor's office about the end of my owner-occupied home property-tax exemption. As it turned out, I needn't have worried about getting dinged with penalties on my last payment -- it runs to the end of the year.

Realized that I'd be stuck paying CA income tax on the Starport, until I sell it. At least I won't have to file two state returns!

I've been sleeping too much. On the other hand, my mood is mostly good except when I'm overloaded or worried. Both of which happen pretty easily. I'm probably not as resilient as I used to be. I feel like I've been stretched way too thin.

Surprise.

The weekend was fun. Saturday we (Colleen, Naomi and I) went furniture shopping. N had found an astoundingly inexpensive dining set at Don Willis's -- beautiful dark wood; 8-person table, four chairs, and a bench for under $1K. Three more chairs turned up; we bought them all. The factory has gone bust -- there won't be any way to get more. N. found a dresser she liked that matches the one Colleen and I had bought there over the summer.

After splitting up for dinner, we met again at the Heather Dale concert. Fun, although there was a lot of overlap with Conflikt.

Sunday Colleen and I went to the West Seattle farmer's market, and explored a couple of blocks up and down California Avenue. I really love our new neighborhood.

0131 Th
  * up 6:32; W=198.4; d, n, l; dishes, light
  * full, reasonably productive day at work.
  * walk:  3rd, 2nd and Pine.
  * Filed my last (null) CA sales tax return, found the info about winding up
    HSX as a CA business, and told the assessor's office by email about my new
    address and lack of resident exemption.
  @ A brief survey of Linux audio session managers [LWN.net]

0201 Fr
  * woke up 5:30; drifted.  Way too easy to do that.
  * up 7:15; W=199.2; d, n, l; dishes, light
  * aetna specialty pharmacy: 866-782-2779.  Dr. needs to respond to faxed
    authorization form.
  * Productive at work.  Debugging.

0202 Sa
  * up 9:10; W=198.2; d, n, l; light
  * 10:45 leave for N's
  * fax remaining page to Dave
  * furniture shopping.  found three more chairs to go with the (discontinued)
    table N found.  Win.  She also found a dresser that matches ours, but one
    row of drawers lower (I think).
  * Lunch in Snohomish at the Cabbage Patch.  Their soup, a sort of
    chili/cabbage affair, is wonderful.
  * Heather Dale concert

0203 Su
  * up 7:33; W=199.2; d, n, t, l; shower, dishes, light
  * Shopping expedition to West Seattle Junction for the farmer's market and a
    st/roll up and down California Avenue for a couple of blocks on either side
    of Alaska St.  Then back to Lake Forest Park to finish our shopping at
    Albertson's.  
  ! I really love our new neighborhood.
  * So... not all that far, but at least three hours on my feet.  I'll count
    that as exercise of a sort.
  * over to N's for a little while after dinner

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Thankful... oh, right. Thursday!

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 06:36:15 GMT

A lot to be thankful for. It's been a while.

HOUSE! We're buying a house!! We found the right house!!! Burble.
Having an income and credit score that made it possible to put in an offer and get it accepted. My credit score just squeaked by; things have gotten a lot more difficult since the days of sub-prime mortgages and easy money. Not complaining.
The multifunction peripheral at work, and especially its fax function. I am not grateful for the paperwork, only for its ultimate goal and the ability to handle the stuff expeditiously.
Colleen.
My sister and soon-to-be-housemate, the amazing pocketnaomi. Who found THAT house, made arrangements, greased skids, made molehills out of mountains, and generally made things happen.
My health, and the ability to continue coping when it breaks down somewhat.
The git distributed version control system, which made it possible to work even in the absence of a VPN connection.
Gainful employment.
The filk community, and most recently Conflikt.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done recently (20130127 Su - 30 We)

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 06:06:12 GMT

Not such a long week. But both productive and exhausting in its own way.

Sunday of Conflikt was pretty good, especially Jeff Bohnhoff's "Alternate Guitar Chords" workshop, and some great music. But around, what, 4pm? Colleen's scooter abruptly stopped working. Dead in its tracks, with the battery indicator happily stuck at the halfway point, where it's always been for the last several months. The YD, who was accompanying Colleen between buildings, proceeded to panic. I talked her through pushing the scooter back indoors and plugging in the charger.

As soon as I could, I got down there, to find that there was enough charge in the battery to move slowly, but not fast -- push too far and it would simply cut off. So charging helps. I had some difficulty persuading the YD to help me get Colleen all the way into the conference center and up to the Conflikt lobby, where she would be warm and have music and company while the battery charged.

At which point it developed that the YD needed to get home and finish her homework. Due Monday. Oooooookay then. I drove her home, which gave me the opportunity to drop off most of the luggage, swap vehicles, and snag a walker at Naomi's in case charging the battery didn't help.

But of course it did help -- the battery finished charging, and the scooter was just fine. I still don't trust it.

Monday was reasonably productive, plus the inevitable odds and ends of paperwork. Despite coming down with the con crud. The chills came on the way home; I went to bed early, under a pile of blankets.

I woke up feeling as though I was swimming in sweat, of course, and wisely decided to work from home. I got through two new API methods that had been scheduled for two days each.

Which was a good thing, since I wasn't quite as productive Wednesday, when I had a urology appointment in the morning and got to sit around while Colleen had an MRI in the afternoon. All afternoon, as it turned out. So much for going in and pushing my changes to the local github in mid-afternoon. I started writing functional tests.

... but all in all not that bad a week, considering.

0127 Su
  * up 7:15ish; d, n
  @ Bacon.js Makes Functional Reactive Programming Sizzle 
  * Alternate Guitar Chords variant workshop with Jeff Bohnhoff
  * N. left 2ish
  * Cat and Barigato concert
  * Colleen's scooter abruptly stopped working.  Dead in its tracks.  The YD
    panicked, and when I came down after recording my song into Kathleen's zoom,
    continued to freak as I calmly coaxed the scooter, which had been put to
    charge and was now merely *mostly* dead, up the ramp, into the elevator, and
    down the hall to the con's part of the conference center.  And plugged it in.
  * At this point the YD was freaking about not getting home in time to finish
    her homework.  So I took her home, stopped at N's to change vehicles, get a
    little bit of quiet time, and pick up the 4-wheeled walker just in case.
  * ... which we didn't need, because the scooter was fully charged by the time
    I got back.  So it's clear that the charge indicator is borked.  Probably
    expensive to fix.  The behavior is consistent with the voltage falling too
    low for the circuitry to function, without the indicator giving the
    slightest warning that it was low.

0128 Mo
  * up 7:15; W=202.2; d, n, l; dishes
  @ Coding Freedom: a review
  * Reasonably productive day at work, plus a couple of things taken care of wrt
    the house purchase.
  % threw up after only a couple of bites of lunch.  Got much better after that,
    but still (7pm) have slight chills and a fever of 99.7.  Brought home enough
    info to WFH tomorrow if I'm not up to going in.
  ! My emotional range the last few days has mostly been from "good" to "very
    good", with a couple of "ok"s thrown in.  This is good.
  % (20:04:08) ***mdlbear gets a throw blanket and tucks himself in.
  * bed:  10:15ish

0129 Tu
  * up 9am; d, n, l; dishes
  * WFH today.  Got 2 API endpoints, scheduled for 2 days each, done.
  % (19:05:45) mdlbear: I seem to be over my flu, and my increased dose of
    antidepressant seems to be starting to work.  And I finished two tasks
    scheduled for two days each today.  I am starting to feel as though things
    may be going well. 
  ! good, contented, optimistic?
  @ the problem with polynormativity « Sex Geek (ysabetwordsmith)

0130 We
  * up 6:30; W=198.4; d, n, l; dishes, light
  * 8am leave for urology apt
  * 8:30 Dr. Downey - Urology (BPH) 806005 244th St near Mazatlan rest.
    it's big, but as long as the doxazosin is working, he doesn't have to go to
    the next level of drugs (testosterone inhibitors).  Wants to see me in 6
    months because there's a spot he wants to keep an eye on.
  : Humira will have to come from Aetna's specialty pharmacy.  They'll call.
  * 12:30 Colleen at radiology -- took nearly 5 hours door-to-door.
  * managed to get some work done, regardless.
  * to N's for a while 
  * fax last form to dave

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done last week (20130119 Sa - 26 Sa)

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:52:21 GMT

It's been a * l o n g * week, bracketed by cons. Last Saturday we day-tripped Rustycon (and decided that we probably won't bother next year -- it's small. This weekend was Conflikt. Which we will *definitely* be attending next year, but probably without the YD. She went this time because she was writing a term paper on it, but it didn't really seem to be her thing.

Last Sunday we put an offer down on the West Seattle house. It was down to the wire -- when we got there after having seen two places that were obviously unsuitable, we found that they were having an open house and had already received two offers. We offered $10K over the asking price. Monday was a nail-biter, but we got it! It's gorgeous. A full 2-bedroom apartment downstairs in the daylight basement, plus a 4-car garage on that level. Three bedrooms upstairs. And a great hall on top of the garage. I forsee parties, house filks, and house concerts in our future.

Needless to say, my work productivity suffered, as I spent far too much of my time on the phone or tracking down paperwork. The loan paperwork finally all came together at 4:45 on Friday, about the same time I got my functional tests running and marked "ready for QA".

Did I mention the lack of sleep? Mostly due to waking up at unreasonable hours with house worries. So we went into Conflikt already sleep-deprived.

I may have to leave most of Conflikt until later, but the music was fantastic and the Interfilk auction was one of the must entertaining in years. Even if I did end up winning a $100 bid to give the horrid wall-hangings, Harry and Henrietta Hemp, to Seanan. Who said she'd burn them in the parking lot. (The deal with the Hemps is that the winning bidder gets to say who they go to, and somebody had fingered us as people who hadn't had it yet.)

Health. We both had follow-up appointments with our PCP, Dr. Chopra, Saturday morning. Colleen had a dentist appointment Wednesday morning, I had an appointment with the sports medicine department Thursday morning. I got my SSRI dosage raised, and was told that my assorted joint, etc. problems would be solved if I lost (rather a lot of) weight. Thanks; I knew that.

I'd probably better go splat now (10:51 pm). Before I fall asleep at the keyboard. Again.

0119 Sa
  * up 7:45; W=201.4, BP=134/76, P=60; d, n, l; dishes, light
  @ Big win for labor in Chicago - Salon.com First time I'd heard of "wage
    theft", but it's a good way of framing the problem. f(Nora Rivkis)
  @ The Top Ten Reasons to Self-Publish Your Book | LinkedIn 
  * 10:40, 11:20 Dr. Chopra
    increased citalopram to 40mg; prescribed niacin at 1000mg for triglycerides;
    may be worthwhile going to 1500
  * made myself chicken fried rice for lunch.  A serving left over for tomorrow.
  * Rustycon.  $35 for a day pass (*3, of course)  Crappy service in the bar
    Bought a lovely mahogany pen/stylus in dealers'
  : great T-shirt in dealer's:  FSM and Cthulhu.  Caption:  "we met online"
  * 9pm burlesque in Washington A+B.  Somehow I thought it was 8pm.
  * OK con, but small.  Hardly anyone we know.  Probably won't bother next year.
  * 22:40 back home.

0120 Su
  * up 7:15; W=202.4; d, n, l; exercise, shower
  * N coming over noon-1ish; meeting (realtor) Dave at 2  
    They were having an open house today; could be dicey.  Nothing else looks
    nearly as good.  4126 37th Ave SW Seattle, WA 98126  Made offer, for $10K
    over the asking price.  It'll be a hell of a stretch, but...
  * Stupidly left junk on top of the laser printer, and it jammed.  Seemingly
    irretrievably, even though I can't see anything stuck in it.  Growf.  Well,
    might be an excuse to get a new one.
  * ordered Chinese for dinner because too late to do anything else, and besides...
  * ordered Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 Bluetooth Keyboard Best BT keyboard I've seen
    -- looks very similar to a Thinkpad keyboard, which I like a lot.

0121 Mo MLK day
  * up 7:20; W=201.4, BP=138/79, P=57; d, n, l; dishes, light
  @ The Top Ten Reasons to Self-Publish Your Book | LinkedIn 
  @ Today's xkcd - I really connect with this.
  * We Got the House!!!! Subject to inspection and financing; the latter
    may be tricky.  And the finances will definitely be tight until summer, when
    we and Naomi are both moved in and can stop paying rent.  It's GORGEOUS!
  & We looked at a couple of places on the north side that N's ex found -- both
    were falling apart.  Only one was worth considering -- a 7000 square foot
    hippie commune full of funk, secret passageways, and decrepit enough that no
    banker in their right mind would write a loan for it.  In better shape it
    would have been a tough choice.
  * Lunch out -- the Indian buffet near Northgate -- to celebrate
  * WFH for the afternoon.
  : My tax refund this year, expected to be huge because of a delayed rollover,
    should cover the $5K we'll need for the chair lift.
  * piggie cage cleaned.
  @ Post PC Pioneer | What does it really mean to use a tablet as your primary
    computer? (ysabetwordsmith)

0122 Tu
  * up 6:27; W=201.4, BP=124/82; P=57; d, n, l; dishes, light
  * worked through lunchtime; productive.
  * spent the evening tracking down paperwork for the mortgage broker.  Eep.

0123 We
  * up 6:32; W=201.4; d, n, l; exercise, dishes, light
  * 9am Colleen: dentist
  * zipped up first batch of paperwork for the mortgage broker.
    N waiting for the architect and inspector.  HOUSE!!
  * much interaction with mortgage broker.
  * 8:30pm sleepy

0124 Th
  & awake 4:30.  Worrying
  * up 5:11; W=202.4; d, n, l; dishes, light
  o 9am Harborview sports/spine clinic: Dr. Standaert
  o best route is probably walking from convention ctr or Jefferson.
    leave 7:30ish.  -> Caught the 308.  Win.
  * basically need more exercise.  Lots more.
  * Walked from 9th and Jefferson to work.
  * successfully transitioned home phone to cellular
  * spent pretty much the whole afternoon on loan paperwork.  Again.
  * The house has a name -- Rainbow's End.  Colleen found the name last night; Naomi
    agreed that it was perfect.  (She came over to look at furniture with Colleen). 
  * frantic search for last year's W-2.  No joy.

0125 Fr
  * up 6:20; W=202.4; d, n, l; dishes
  * Much searching in the morning for paperwork.
  * Lunch with John the Mortgage Broker at Benihana's sushi brunch.  Some good tips.
  * All the ducks finally got lined up around 4:45, plus I finally got all the
    config parameters pointing in the same direction to make my software work.
  * Colleen went to the con with Naomi in the van
  * Took the bus home, picked up the YD, fed the piggies, drove to the con, had
    dinner (in Spencer's at vast expense), and went to the con.  The hotel is
    large and spread-out, but our room is *huge*.  Not complaining.  Much.

0125-7 Conflikt - Seatac Hilton
  *  2 Double Beds Guestroom (245 sq. ft.) upgrades to larger room requested
     3495250749    Check-in: January 25, 2013    Check-out: January 27, 2013 
  * Colleen checked in and upgraded to handicap-accessible.  Yay!

0126 Sa
  * up 7ish; d, n
  * Breakfast at Spencer's.  Ouch!
    Spencer's is a hotel coffeeshop with delusions of being a steakhouse.  They
    use good ingredients, but their cook and service aren't up to their prices,
    which are at least double what they should be.  Triple, in some cases.
  * rather glad I didn't sign up for the brunch -- salad and sandwitches.  I'm
    told there was a gluten-free turkey sandwitch, but still...
  * 1pm vocal workshop with Heather Dale
  * 2pm panel:  So you want to start a band
  * Concerts:  Heather and Ben; Bob and Sue (Interfilk)
  * The Interfilk auction was a lot of fun.  I got hooked (by Naomi) into
    putting a song on the zoom recorder that Kathleen eventually won.  And paid $100 
    to send Harry and Henrietta Hemp home with Seanan (who said she would burn them).
  * Dinner:  Naomi, Chip Unicorn, Rick Weiss and housemate whose name I didn't catch.
  * GOH concert:  the Bohnhoffs

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Done this week (20130112 Sa - 18 Fr)

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 17:24:32 GMT

So... another week. Busy. Our DVD collection fits into half of a tower. Very few of the CDs are out, but that's ok; most of them have been ripped. Of course, I haven't made the collection easily accessible yet, so that's a problem.

Things seem to be falling through the cracks a lot more often than I'd like, and I often feel pretty close to the edge. The edge of exactly what, I couldn't say. My sanity? Something like that. Do Not Like.

Colleen had her gastroenterology appointment on Wednesday; apparently UW has one of the best people in the country for Crohn's Disease. We'd heard that, it was one of the considerations in moving up here. And there's an assistance program that reduces her Humira cost to $5/month -- major win, since our insurance only covers 50% of its astronomical cost.

Some good links. Nadia Heninger Is Watching You (computer security) -- What makes this cool is that she's the daughter of an old friend and former coworker, Andy Heninger. The Wordsmith's Forge - Discussion: An Army of One, Autism in SF My Mom Was An Underground Railroad For Abused Women: What She Taught Me About Feminism And Fear | xoJane. The Tiny Transforming Apartment That Packs Eight Rooms into 420 Square Feet Still pretty cramped, but some cool ideas. The Goliath telescoping dining table is impressive. Want.

0112 Sa
  * up 8:10; W=202.8, BP=131/75, P=51; d, n, t, l; exercise, dishes, light
  @ Nadia Heninger Is Watching You | TechCrunch What makes this cool is
    that she's the daughter of an old friend and former coworker, Andy Heninger.
  * Looked at houses with N, C, and E.  The first, in W. Seattle, was huge and
    lovely.  Maybe a little too good -- the price would be a bit of a stretch.
  @ The Wordsmith's Forge - Discussion: An Army of One, Autism in SF 
  * 15min:  put two moving boxes of DVDs into half of the tower
  * Chinese (Yu Shan)  206-548-4626 
    beef fried rice, honey walnut prawns, orange beef, chicken chow mein,
    Ma Po tofu, Hot & sour soup, won ton soup
  : I apparently failed to pay my SW credit card bill.  Gleep!  Things are
    falling though the cracks more often than I'd like -- I need to do some
    *serious* cleaning/organizing/sorting on the paper piles.

0113 Su
  * up 8:15; W=202.8, BP=126/78, P=59; d, n, l; exercise, shower, dishes, light
  @ Expert witness describes Aaron Swartz's "crimes" - Boing Boing 
  * long explore (99S, W. Seattle, 4th and Madison, etc.)
  * grocery shopping:  QFC
  ! I feel *really* close to the edge, for some reason.  Stress?  It's triggered
    by being told I have to get up and do something, but I don't think it's
    simple laziness (simple though that would be as an explanation).  I just
    kept thinking "make it stop" without any real idea what "it" was.  I really
    felt like I needed to sit down and have a drink, and I couldn't until later.
  * chili for dinner, with rice and a salad.  It was Colleen's idea, though I
    don't think either she or the YD liked it all that much.
  * 19:44 BP=129/69, P=70
  % 8:21 sleepy.  Hope I'm not coming down with something.  Last thing I need.
  * bed 9:30ish.

0114 Mo
  * up 6:15; W=203.2, BP=121/84, P=52; d, n, l; dishes, light
  * actually remembered to go to the 10th floor.  OTOH, forgot my phone and had
    to go back for it from the bus stop.
  * walk:  4th, 3rd and Pike.
  * Naomi's birthday dinner party
  @ PirateBox by David Darts
  * Thinking about buying land and building a house.

0115 Tu
  * up 6:20; W=202.4, BP=126/85, P=57; d, n, l; dishes, light
  @ Why Temporary Work Is Worth It - Forbes 
  * Walk:  4th, 3rd and Pine; Westgate Center
  = stairlift - needs at least 28"; 30 would be better.  An inclined platform
    lift might work.  The scooter is ~25" wide.  Expensive, though.

0116 We
  * up 6:20; W=202.4, BP=127/81, P=57; d, n, t, l; shower, dishes
  @ What if Microsoft exited the search business? | The Daily Caller 
  @ "Aaron's Law" introduced, would change computer law so violating Terms of
    Service isn't a felony - Boing Boing 
  @ Heather Dale - One of Us (Fast Version) - YouTube
  @ 10 signs you love your job (LinkedIn)
    * you'd do it even if you weren't getting paid for it
  @ Orbiting Filk Recording Studio by unclechristo 
  * Staying home today for doctors' appointments; me in the morning and Colleen
    in the afternoon, at opposite ends of town.  Should probably have taken my
    laptop home to do a little work, but didn't think of it. 
  * 9:30 expect call from (mortgage broker) John Verhayden
  * 10:30 Anita Brown LCSW at Shoreline Clinic re: depression, etc.
    The have something called BHIP - behavior health integration program.
  * 2pm Colleen's GE appointment - UW digestive disease center, surgery
    pavilion, 3rd floor.  Down 15th Ave, L. on Pacific. Going straight down 15th
    doesn't work, despite going home that way.
    -> prescriptions for azathioprine and Humira -- we get a card from the
       H. assistance program that brings it down to a $5 co-pay (from $900)
    -> very encouraging -- Colleen's new GE is one of the top in the field.
  @ Body Impolitic - Blog Archive - » Reflections on Caring, or Things to Think
    About Along the Freeway - Laurie Toby Edison: Photographer 
  * 20:30 BP=126/62, P=73
  * 21:49 sleepy
  * 10:15ish:  bed.

0117 Th
  * up 8am; W=201.4; d, n, l;
    overslept very badly.  Do Not Like.
  * Moderately productive at work:  ran down a couple of bugs in the course of
    writing functional tests for $service
  & great conversation with a coworker who has a side-business making iPad stands
    @ Floor Stand for iPad - SwingHolder
  @ Why I Might Ditch My IPhone for an Android - Businessweek 
  @ My Mom Was An Underground Railroad For Abused Women: What She Taught Me
    About Feminism And Fear | xoJane 
  * 22:00 BP=124/70 P=66
  @ WhiteHouse (The White House) (LWN)
    I think it's cool that the White House has a homepage on github 
  @ The Linux digital audio workstation - Part 1 [LWN.net] 
    The Linux digital audio workstation - Part 2 [LWN.net]

0118 Fr
  * up 5:30; W=202.2, BP=143/71, P=59; d, n, l; dishes, light
  * a little noodling
  @ Packaged HTML5 Apps: Are we emulating failure? | groovecoder 
  @ Software Wars | Indiegogo
  @ The Tiny Transforming Apartment That Packs Eight Rooms into 420 Square
    Feet Still pretty cramped, but some cool ideas.  The Goliath telescoping dining table is impressive.
  * walk:  4th, 3rd and Pike.
  * bought an AT+T cellular house phone.
  * pick up Colleen's prescriptions at Walgreen's -> still waiting on Humira
  * over to N's with YD for box-moving -> Mission accomplished
    Cleared a ~4' path, just by moving essentially one row of boxes.  Tracked
    down a couple of Colleen's gluten-free cookbooks.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done this week (20120106 Su - 11 Fr)

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 04:43:40 GMT

The main event this week was the arrival of the storage towers and lamp I ordered from Best Buy. There were also health worries, and my stuff is being moved into a new cubical over the weekend. I think about half the people in the Seattle office are getting shuffled around.

I get two nice things out of the move. First was having to leave at 2pm on Friday, which meant I could walk to REI -- about half an hour's walk, on a beautiful clear day -- and buy a hat. It's called a "Seattle Sombrero"; I'm hoping it will be waterproof.

The second is a lockable cabinet where I can stash my (non-lockable) laptop. That means I won't have to lug the darned thing to and from work five times a week. I don't need the extra weight.

My back was hurting quite a lot by the time I got home on Friday. And I've been having some sharp pains when I lift things that make me worry about developing a hernia -- this is something I *do* *not* *need* right now.

Also I'm still gaining weight, and I get very stiff in the evenings.

I got my lab results back; the doctor noted that she was worried about my triglycerides, which are 186 (normal 150 or less). When I see her next, in a couple of weeks, I will tell her that it's the second-lowest number in a decade. Probably time to increase my niacin and linseed oil. (Ok, the bottle is labeled "flax oil". Same thing. It's a dietary supplement and a furniture finish.)

About those CD towers. When I ordered them and looked at the shipping tracker it said "4 boxes, 76 pounds". Shipping was free. What I didn't realize was that the weight given wasn't the total, it was the weight of the heaviest package. Of which there were two, plus two smaller boxes of 36lbs. Gleep. The Younger Daughter was *not* pleased, even with access to my hand truck.

I took it nice and slow, and put one together over the course of three days. I had figured on it taking two people to flip the thing over and drag it into position, but it glided easily over the carpet, and was actually quite easy to lift. Yay trigonometry!

As for links, I have been eagerly following the poems from YsabetWordsmith's January Poetry Fishbowl, and especially the ones in her new series, An Army of One, which is science fiction about a society of autistic people. Very cool idea.

0106 Su
  * up 7ish; W=202.2, BP=130/73, P=52; d, n, t, l; dishes, light
  * 15min:  Cleared some recycling off the porch, packed up the lights.
  * Shopping:  Walgreen's, JoAnne's, and Central Market.
    Colleen got yarn at J's; I got a wrapping-paper bin.
  * Over to N's with the last of the Christmas boxes; more box-shifting
    Found the "Small Comps" box!  It was on the bottom in the
    second-to-front row, which was not at all where I was expecting to find it.
    I was delighted to find that it contained a gigabit switch.  I've been
    looking for that box for _months_
  @ The Insourcing Boom - Charles Fishman - The Atlantic (Don Marti
    America's Real Criminal Element: Lead
  * roasted almonds for work.  To go with the nuts bought today, and the slab
    apricots from several weeks ago.


0107 Mo
  * up 6:17; W=203, BP=118/76 P=55; d, n, l; dishes, light
  ~ 7am wake Colleen
  * 7:30 leave for dentist
  * 8am - Colleen dentist
  & wasted much of the day at work dealing with the fallout from a
    misunderstanding about changing my password.
  * The CD towers came today.  HUGE.  When I saw the shipping info and read
    "73lbs" I assumed that was the total.  Silly me.  There were *two* 73#
    boxes, and two 36# ones.  Gleep!
  : (21:55:39) mdlbear: ... and judging by the state of my back, I'd better stop
    with unboxing the pieces.  When I saw "73 lbs" on the shipping tracker, I
    naturally assumed that was the total. 
    (21:56:39) mdlbear: I will.  There is a step in there that will definitely
    require two people:  the thing is assembled upside-down. 
    (21:58:19) mdlbear: Each of the two towers (cue ominous music from LOtR
    here) came in two boxes:  73 lbs and 36 lbs respectively. 
  * 22:17 BP=110/74, P=61

0107 Tu
  * up 6:15; W=202; BP=130/77, P=56; d, n, t, l; dishes
  * YD up early, so bright and bubbly in the morning.
  * 7ish (when YD gets home) go out to the Taster's Wok with Chaos
  * The lamp we ordered from Best Buy (along with the CD towers) arrived. 
  % worried about possible hernia.  Do Not Want.
  * assembled lamp Went together smoothly; looks pretty good.  Not in final
    position yet because that's full of junk.  Displacing which is kind of the
    idea, but...  hole, meet bucket.
  * did a little work on the CD tower.
  * 00:30 finally went to bed

0109 We
  * up 6:37; W=203 BP=133/75, P=52; d, n, t, l; exercise, light
  * A little more work on the CD tower.  It's pretty imposing.
  @ thnidu | Mission: Impossible Lindsey Sterling and the Piano Guys.  NSFK
  * walk:  5th, 2nd and Union.
  % 20:09:30) mdlbear: Three parts.
    (20:11:44) mdlbear: First, I discovered as I was getting on the bus that the
     luggage tag where I keep my ORCA card had fallen off.  Which meant getting
     change and waiting around for the *next* bus, plus the additional hassle of
     trying to get another card.  I may be able to get a senior card in downtown
     Seattle; otherwise I'll have to go to Lynnwood for it. 
    (20:14:09) mdlbear: Second, Colleen's prescription, which I was to pick up
     at Walgreen's, was sent to the wrong one.  Again.  Because our Walgreen's is
     on Lake City Way in Seattle.  There *is* no Walgreen's on Bothell Way, but
     there's one on Bothell-Everett Way in Everett.  Luckily, our Walgreen's had
     the drug in stock. 
    (20:15:12) mdlbear: Third, for about the last week I have been having
     abdominal pains when lifting heavy items; I suspect a hernia, and don't like
     the idea. 
    (20:24:03) mdlbear: I *do* *not* *need* more health problems right now.
     Especially problems that may mean that I won't be able to lift the
     components of Colleen's scooter.  Which would mean getting a lift. 
    (20:24:31) mdlbear: Which would have to go on or in the van.
  * Got my lab results.  Dr. is worried because my triglycerides are at 183,
    with a target range of under 150.  Actually, that's the second-lowest it's
    been in five years or more.
  * tower base attached.  It now has to be flipped.  I am not stupid enough to
    try that by myself.

0110 Th
  * up 6:20; W=203; d, n, t, l; shower, exercise, light
  * replace ORCA card: King Street Center 201 S. Jackson St. Seattle, WA
    Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
  * Walk:  1st and Jackson to 3rd and Madison
  * walk:  4th, 3rd and Pike
  * tower set up.  Easy to move into position by flipping over and sliding.  Not
    nearly as hard as I expected; easily a one-person job.
  $ set up $100/week transfers to Chaos
  $ chaos has $665 tuition payment due 1/15 - add 250 this week and next
  * 22:15 BP=130/72, P=67
  * Tower shelves put in.
  * pay bills

0111 Fr
  * up 6:23; W=202, BP=124/85, P=56; d, n, t, l; dishes, light
  * Had to leave work at 2pm so the movers could come in and shift all our cubes
    around.  I'm moving to the 10th floor, from 15  
  * Walked to REI, where I bought a hat
  * 20:41 BP=148/72, P=59

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]

Done so far this year (20130101 Tu - 0105 Sa)

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 00:32:49 GMT

So, welcome to 2013. So far it's starting out pretty well, with three very productive days at work, and spurts of productivity at home as well. I've done some walking, though not as much as I'd like, and even a little practicing. Colleen and I went to our doctor's appointments on Saturday. I get to stay off my morning BP meds! Colleen, OTOH, needs to go back on hers.

And Thursday was our 38^th wedding anniversary! We celebrated by going out for dinner-for-two at Anthony's seafood restaurant in Alderwood. Dinner consisted mostly of molluscs - a double helping of oysters, clams, muscles, and clam chowder. Plus drinks and dessert.

The free test coverage tool in Eclipse is pretty good. Fun!

We had house guests on Sunday; anyone in the Seattle area who wants to visit is welcome to come on over, given a few hours' notice.

Quote of the week:

Colleen: What are you depressed about?
Me: Depression doesn't need a reason.

As well as the year is going, I'm still apparently feeling pretty depressed and very, very stressed. I think I'm trying to do too much, but there's no helping it. I was kind of shocked to find that Colleen's last hospitalization was in 2009, only a little less than 4 years ago. It feels longer.

For you TV fans out there, here's a great write-up about the plot holes in WWII on the history channel.

0101 Tu
  * up 8:13; W=191.8; d, n, t, l; shower, exercise, dishes
  * Rose Parade streaming on KTLA.com -- beautiful, but our connection is a
    little too slow.  The rerun, OTOH, is almost glitch-free.  Odd, but I'm not
    complaining.  
  * OK, now (11:15ff) it's getting glitchy again; I suspect either the YD web
    browsing, or something upstream.
  * 15min:  put tree back in box.
  * 15min:  puttering
  * Rick and Victoria -- they were caring for a sick friend yesterday.
  * walk:  Walgreen's; detour to 145th and 35th Gorgeous view from the
    hilltop. 
  " Colleen:  What are you depressed about?
    Me: Depression doesn't need a reason.
  @ Plot holes in WWII (firecat) 
    So yeah. Stay away from the History Channel. Unlike most of the other
    networks, they don't even try to make their stuff believable. 
  * BP=132/73.  Back on the meds?  N. says no, and the page at
    mayoclinic.com 
    says that meds aren't indicated under 140/90.  "maintain or adopt a healthy
    lifestyle" - yeah, right.

0102 We
  * up 6:15; W=202.2; d, n, t, l; dishes
  * walk:  3rd and Virginia
  * N and the kids over for dinner.  Movie:  Fantasia 2000
  * we wished each other Happy Anniversary before going to sleep a few minutes
    after midnight.

0103 Th 38th wedding anniversary
  * up 6:22; W=202.8; d, n, t, l; dishes
  * Walk:  3rd and Pine.  Diversion into Office Max, which really isn't worth it.
  * dinner:  Anthony's.  Mostly molluscs
  * pay bills

0104 Fr
  % Main dream bit I recall involved installing bamboo flooring in the Starport
    (which I wasn't actually involved with IRL).  There were a couple of missing
    boards underneath, and I was working out how to fill in the gap.  Before
    that there was driving, shopping, and something about a loft with a bathtub.
  * up 6:35; W=202.2; d, n, t, l; exercise, dishes, light
  * walk:  6th, 3rd & Olive
  * installed a free test coverage tool in Eclipse at work.  Cool.
  % (21:40:42) ***mdlbear just overreacted when Colleen griped at me for not
    turning off the stove when I got dinner.  That sort of oversight probably
    shouldn't make me feel stupid and worthless, but it does.
  % (22:29:47) mdlbear: I was kind of shocked to find, on investigation, that
    Coleen's surgery, that led to her current set of health problems, only dates
    back to 2009.  A little less than four years. 
  * Installed new batteries in Colleen's scooter.  Meter still shows 50%, so I'm
    guessing the problem may be in the meter.  Growf!

0105 Sa
  * up 9:00; W=202.2; d, n, t, l;
  * NO FOOD - BLOODWORK
  * 10:00 leave for clinic
  * 10:40, 11:20 appointments at UW Shoreline Clinic 
    Dr. Chopra wants me to track my BP at home; it's high but not dangerous.
    She only gave Colleen a 6-month extension on the disabled placard; thinks
    she can be walking in that time.  Would be nice, though I'm sceptical.
    She'll still need a cane or walker, so still would qualify for a placard.
  * Lunch at Mazatlan.  Very good place.  Attentive wait staff.  Either the
    coffee was really good, or I *really* needed it.  Probably both.
  & up to Everett because Colleen didn't remember that our Walgreens is in
    Seattle, not Lake Forest Park.  Nice drive back on Bothell-Everett Way.
  * Over to N's with the Christmas tree, and some work in her garage.  Helped
    with _her_ tree, which had to be cut in half and taken to the curb.
  * practice:  Lilly, Rosemary, et.al.; noodling with Wheelin', Desolation
    Row, Millennium's Dawn, etc.
  @ When depression is contagious. « CaptainAwkward.com (firecat) 
  @ siliconshaman | No. Shit. Sherlock! Austerity doesn't work.
  * 15min:  Christmas lights in from the porch.  Progress.
  * 15min:  laundry and linen-folding.

[Crossposted from mdlbear.dreamwidth.org, where it has comments. Comment wherever you prefer; anonymous comments are allowed on DW only]