Too Much Walking
Jan. 7th, 2017 12:25 amSo 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.
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