Too Much Walking

So here's the deal. I can walk from the hole of a building they have moved me to, to the very nice office they are moving me out of in less time than it takes to drive. Because you can't get there from here. The exit is one way the wrong way, parking is on the opposite side of the complex, and after 10 am valet is the only way to go, but for a short visit valet doesn't work very well.

Today I started in the dump, but had to go back to the office to get a box I was testing. And then I had to go back again because I'd left the remote behind. I thought I could get away with a USB keyboard, but the Home key doesn't work, and it's required to get the box started.

So two round trips = 40 minutes of my day, and it was bitterly cold. At least it wasn't raining this time.

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Night was fitful. Had a tough time falling asleep. Spook was on the bed where my feet wanted to be, and she fought them. She eventually lost, and moved to the side. I only woke up once - at 4 - for a pit stop, and once more at 6:30 - Spook thought it was time for me to get up, but I took that last hour anyway.

Brought some chicken and quinoa in a cooler, but didn't think I'd get a chance to eat it. And I didn't, because I used lunch hour to pick up the new glasses at Kaiser. The nice lady spent a lot of time adjusting the nose grabber and telling me I should try the glasses for the weekend, I had 30 days to return them for a refund if they didn't work out. Progressive lenses. She didn't get it that I had never worn prescription glasses before, so the suggestion that I would get used to them didn't ring true. I know several people who went from bifocals to trifocals to progressives, and her spiel was aimed at those folks.

After 5 minutes with them on, it was obvious that they were not going to work. But I decided to try for the weekend to be fair.

Back to work, I tried them, but couldn't read the laptop at all. The reader part of the glasses are designed for knitting and reading from a flat surface, not from a raised screen. Testing the 55" TV on my desk was also awkward, because that close there isn't enough peripheral vision in focus. I was getting seasick, had to change back to the computer glasses for the laptop and no glasses for the TV.

There was a poster in the next door break room for a "salon" - music being played open mic style in one of the buildings across the main road, so at 5:30 I hoofed it over there. There was a baby grand and the piano talent ranged from talented amateur to "if you weren't making tons of $$ at Google, you could make a living at this". There was one truly awful guitar strummer/non-singer/songwriter who dropped some F bombs when he forgot the forgettable lyrics. There was some eye candy, but the lobby they held it in was small and not conducive to meeting people. And there was a big WTF. What appeared to be a jazz ensemble kept moving their equipment around, including an amp, a snare drum and a high hat, and what looked like a viola. Little by little the equipment and the people attached to it went outside, came back inside, went back outside, and the MC seemed to be telling them either they were too late to land a spot, or they would be too loud. Or both. MC did a turn at the baby grand and was very impressive playing something classical. And some dude brought his infant, carrying it around in one of those chest harnesses, kid facing outward and looking uncomfortable as all get out. When kid started making a fuss he went outside, where it was about 45°. Idiot.

Shuffled back to the car, and for some mystical reason when I saw this neat statue along the way, I fired up Ingress, and saw it was free for the taking, so I took it and linked it to about six other portals. I didn't have any mods to drop on it, it may be blue by Monday.

Home, finally figured out Charleston Road, which made the commute easier.

In the park slot was the annual form to give them all the information they already have, so I'm not filling it out.

In the mail was baby sister's annual letter, enumerating the number of miles hubby has bicycled. It is insane. Especially after two trips to the hospital. This is a guy who had some kind of cancer which was supposed to kill him 30 years ago.

Dinner was Marie C real chicken dinner, thin mint ice cream & iced home made mint tea. Mint leaves from my garden.

Watched two episodes of Shark Tank on the Nvidia.

Today's political thought:
Trump is not Satan. He is not any of the Axis Powers despots. He may be a fool, but he is a fool with $4.5 Billion. He won the popular vote if California's votes are not counted, and there is a good reason not to give them full weight, because due to a new rule where the top two candidates regardless of party got onto the ballot in all the statewide elections (US Senator, US Representative, etc.) most of the candidates on the ballot were Democrats, so Republicans had no reason to turn out. By mid-day in CA, Trump had already won the electoral college.

I'm also seeing a trend to blame Trump for the stupidities of Ryan & McConnell & their merry bands of bandits. And Obama is just letting it happen. He's been outa here since December.

I'm also fed up with the claims that Obama's done great things for the economy. Looking at my resume, since he was elected, I was out of work or underemployed for more time than in the rest of my life.

12/16-present 1/2 pay no benefits except free soft drinks & kale
3/16-12/16 - unemployed
8/11-2/16 full pay full benefits
7/11-8/11 - 2/3 pay no benefits
2/11-7/11 - unemployed
2/10-2/11 - half pay no benefits
10/09-2/10 - 3/4 pay no benefits
6/9-10/9 - unemployed
5/7-5/9 full pay full benefits (hired under the Bush administration, laid off under Obama)
Prior to Obama, the only time I was out of work against my wishes was the 4 months after 9/11.

Plans for tomorrow:
Watch football - Raiders AM and Seahawks PM
Stay out of the rain

Football and Football

Sling TV on the Nvidia box had me covered. ESPN at 1:30 for the Raiders game. It was a cold day in Texas, and the Raiders did everything right except catch the ball and catch the Texan running with the ball. Other than that they were perfect. Well, except for not winning. Contrary to predictions, their emergency last-minute 3rd string QB was their strongest player.

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During halftime and between games I switched to the Amazon Fire and watched some episodes of Genealogy Roadshow, which was free with Amazon Prime but cost $$ on the NVidia PBS app. I'm somewhat pissed at PBS because many of the segments in what allegedly is this year's series were actually from season 1.

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5:30 pm, Seahawks hosting The French Team (Detroit) the non-nittany lions. Nittany-free? Nittanyless? Nittany challenged? The game got off to a slow start, but somewhere in there a Seahawk made a spectacular one-handed grab in the end zone, and though the fact that his other hand was wrapped around he defender's facemask was caught by the commentators after the 12th replay, the guys in the fashionable "no zebras were harmed in the making of these" shirts missed it. There were at least three more miracle catches by Seattle and they won the game ... uh ... handily.

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Last night I slept well enough, another night of needing an hour to fall asleep, and Spook wanting to be where my feet wanted to be. Got up at 6, but was back asleep till the alarms at 7:30. The morning TV "news" show was so disgustingly opinionated I switched it right off. KNBR radio had a very interesting interview with Texas punter Shane Lechler, who last was in the playoffs as a Raider about 20 years ago.

Late shower, stumbled into the kitchen for a Klondike bar, Hgl was 69.

Lunch was a Marie C beef pot pie, dinner was reheated pizza, 2 slices. I was ready to also nuke the last of the Safeway breaded chicken parts, but wasn't that hungry. Had two glasses of light egg nog so I can get to the half gallon of real egg nog in the back of the fridge. I dose it with lots of nutmeg, which is a mild hallucinogen. I know this from extended research, not from personal experience.

Nothing in the mailbox today. I suspect my neighborhood has been dropped from Saturday mail service.

Right now there are 3 homes for sale on my block, including one which has been occupied for about 27 years by the same couple, who have been very active in community doings.

It rained all day, just not very much on my block. Black threatening clouds all around, but not much above me. 0.38" in the last 24 hours.

Did a load of laundry. It's sitting on the bed waiting to be put away. Spook's laundry radar was working, as usual:


Also unloaded last night's dishwasher run.

Today's politics:

Obama is leaving behind a trail of speeches and bon mots as is his duty as an outgoing President. I am neutral about him as a leader, I do not think he did as well as he could have, most of his accomplishments were too little, too late, but I don't think he was a disaster. His speaking cadence has improved over time, but he still has many cattle prod moments. Today he let fly with an absurdity which did not become him. He accused Bernie Sanders supporters of helping feed into the unpopularity of Obamacare. The only reason I can think of for him to make such a ridiculous blurt is maybe he found some really potent ganja on his annual Hawaiian holiday.

Plans for tomorrow:
Safeway, buy some small frozen meals for lunches. Bananas for breakfast, maybe. Though they have them at work, as well as hard boiled eggs.
Maybe get a haircut. But it's pretty cold out, so I may just trim my sideburns myself and call it mission accomplished.
Coffee w/Janice
Maybe some more football, though I don't have a favorite team in the remaining contests.