catness: (alleycat)
Cat Gray ([personal profile] catness) wrote2026-01-20 08:32 am
Entry tags:

Snowflake Challenge #10 - mood board

Snowflake Challenge: A warmly light quaint street of shops at night with heavy snow falling. 

Challenge #10: Big Mood (Board)

CHOOSE SOMETHING YOU LOVE AND CREATE A MINI MOOD COLLECTION OF THREE (or more) ITEMS THAT EVOKE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT IT.


I love pixel art and retro games. I'm posting a bunch of my old piccies drawn during my attempt at a Pixel Art Daily challenge. (Now I'm learning in a more organized way.)

a bunch of images under cut )
melchar: kitty sitting in a toilet (toidy kitty)
melchar ([personal profile] melchar) wrote2026-01-19 10:05 pm

'Just a cold'? No, it's worse than that

I've been suffering from a cold since just past Christmas. It's gotten worse, despite hot soup, tea and care.

5 days ago, on Wednesday, at 7-8am I had a terrible coughing fit that made some muscles in my side feel like I was being knifed there. My Sweetie convinced me to go to the emergency room. About 4 hours later, I had been examined, poked, X-rayed and diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. I was given 2 different antibiotics [Amoxicillin & Azithromyci] as a 5-day course that ended today.

I was also given 3 other drugs: Prednisone - a corticosteroid medication - for the inflammation, an albuterol inhaler & benzonatate gels to ease coughing. The examining doctor said that I was in really good shape - everything considered - and thus did NOT need to be immediately hospitalized. Back home, I flopped into bed and have been slowly recovering over the last 5 days - seeking to rest between coughing fits.

Currently, I feel SO much better than I did, but am concerned since [a] the antibiotics courses are finished but I am still unwell & [b] - given my typical rate of recovery it is extremely likely that my condition will not improve. Also, why 5 days now, when the 'norm' used to be 10-14 days of medication? The probability of relapsing and feeling worse again just depresses me.
melchar: bucky katt making a statement (bucky)
melchar ([personal profile] melchar) wrote in [community profile] basfa2026-01-19 08:54 pm

Jan 19 BASFA club minutes

Minutes of Meeting #1844
Monday, January 19, 2026

Trey Haddad, President
Ken Patterson, Vice President
Dave Gallaher, Treasurer
Galen Tripp & Laser Pistol Packin’ Mama, Sergeants at Arms
Barbara Johnson-Haddad, Secretary
meeting held online AND meeting live at Parktown Pizza [at Meridian & Hillsdale in SJ]
https://www.parktownpizza.com

***************************
NEW ZOOM FOR 2026
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82190960810?pwd=k8qAIDt9sntTTLOI6FoerafmYvU2AR.1

Meeting ID: 821 9096 0810
Passcode: B4SF41D
---
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,82190960810#,,,,*5724576#
---
By Telephone
669-900-9128
Meeting ID: 821 9096 0810
Passcode: 5724576
Find your local number:https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcSpSAHaD
***************************

Called to order at 8:04 pm
9live/3online beings attended the meeting

The minutes of meeting 1843 were accepted as 'harmonious'

Proxy Treasurer's report = Regular: $15,805.32
Party: $230.58
Money can be sent to salve guilt via PayPal - sent to: dwgallaher@gmail.com
Though we have accrued $164.34 since the resumption of live meetings.

the VP had nothing fannish to report

the President had nothing fannish to report

There were no committee reports

no old or new business

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Gerry announced that they will be provisionally celebrating their 50th anniversary on a paddlewheel boat, 4-hour cruise in Minnesota, followed by a dinner and other con-like festivities - with more info to follow

Ken announced that this Friday is the 4th Friday of the month, so there will be a meeting of the Legion of Rassilon – 'your Doctor Who fan club' - live in person at the Dennie's on Bascom in Milpitas on Abbott Rd, near the 880 freeway, at 7:30pm - wear a mask - for more info check their Facebook page. This month we will be watching the first two episodes of the spin-off series The War Between the Land and the Sea.
see = lor.club

Yochanan announced that Artemis 2 is on the launch-pad

Reviews:

The secretary reviewed being diagnosed with & suffering from bacterial pneumonia as very much NOT worth the effort and is not recommended

Rick reviewed 'Starfleet Academy' as 'very promising', having seen the introductory episode. He finds the acting to be good, the plot serviceable and the dialogue mostly good, with an excellent villain - so far. Yochanan also commented to the topic, saying the show is 'interesting', but opines that show's musical theme meanders and does not grab him at all. Ken commented that 'Trek Culture' on YouTube is going into details about easter eggs in the show.
see = https://www.youtube.com/@TrekCulture
and see = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Starfleet_Academy_(TV_series)

Yochanan reviewed 'The Edge of Sleep' - a 6-episode mini-series psychological horror television miniseries that originated on YouTube as edgy and has potential
see = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Edge_of_Sleep_(TV_series)
Yochanan also reviewed 'Anaconda' - a comedy out in theatres now - saying that it has a meandering plot that is all over the place and is not really well-written. He rates it as not worth seeing in theatres and maybe only worth streaming. He also comments that Sony is name-dropped multiple times in the movie.
see = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaconda_(2025_film)
Yochanan also reviewed a Prime series called 'Gen V', a follow-on series in the universe of 'The Boys' with 'more penises than he has seen in a long time' and a lot of violence. He found the storyline to be done very well and he liked it quite a lot - rating it worth full price. Rick enthusiastically endorses' Yochanan's opinion and comments that the humor is very dark, with over the top violence & he also recommends the show.
see = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gen_V

we adjourned at = 8:35 pm

Rumor of the Week: 'Wheeze, gurgle, wheeze' [translation unavailable]'

there were no auctions
susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-19 08:02 am

Vacation

The pool's closure has felt kind of like a vacation for me in many ways. Which is weird because I do miss volleyball and I do miss swimming but I'm very much enjoying waking up with nothing I have to and nowhere I have to be. My sleep numbers are in the stratosphere.

But, hopefully, the vacation will be over soon. They are saying they hope to finish up the fix on Tuesday and have the pool open on Wednesday and probably warmed up enough for Volleyball on Thursday.

Oh fuck, the landscape guy just fired up the very loud hedge trimmer and it's just now 8 am. They are supposed to hold off until 9. Old people will be bitchin' today. This is where my neighbor Ingrid, will lean out of her terrace and screech at them to be quiet and then scream at them at length about why they need to be quiet. Irony and Ingrid are one and the same. She usually only comes to elbow coffee when she has some outrageous wrong she needs to have all of us help her correct. This could mean we see her next Saturday.

I have three free months of Apple TV but I really watched what I wanted weeks ago so haven't logged on. Last night I fired it up and ohnyfuckingod, Apple stopped just short of sending someone to take a DNA swab. First the message said my account was locked. I got it unlocked then I had to log in - the first of 5 - yes, that is FIVE times they required me to log in. Happily I had set up security questions and answered those several times - the same ones, over and over again. By the time I got Apple TV on my TV I was way too annoyed to watch any of their shit. I have no use for Apple - the hardware, the software, the company. None.

And I am kind of feeling the same way about Microsoft. Dick (of Dick and Jan) asked for my help yesterday showing him how to do something I showed him how to do a month ago - attach a One Drive document to email. That it was a repeat did not thrill me and then I could not figure out how to sort the documents to show him. It did not help that he kept moving the fucking mouse around while I was trying to figure it out. Also his data was at 98% on his machine so I knew it was going to freeze up beyond use any second. I got the document attached to the email and sent. He kept hitting send and sending the email over and over again with no attachment. Finally, I gave up and told him to call the IT guys. I have not used Windows in the last decade or more and I sure do not miss it. Also call the IT guys first next time.

I did get my closet emptied of shoes. I'll clear it out completely on Friday morning but until then, I'm set.

There is a new season of Night Manager so I thought I'd rewatch Season 1. But, turns out, I'd never seen Season 1! I finished it last night. Season 2 is a serial dropper and the last one won't be until the first week of February. I prefer to watch only when the whole season is available. So I'll hold off for now.

Ingrid has not done her balcony scream yet. I'm disappointed in the old girl.

The egg muffin situation is good. The ones I made reheated really nicely. In fact, they are a little better and easier to eat on the run (walk) when reheated. They are too big and not proportioned correctly but I can fix. I think what I really need is egg bites. I will adjust.

I am skipping exercise this morning. Since the pool is reopening, I am less motivated. The guy teaching today is really annoying. He only does the class on two Mondays a month and today is one of his. Plus, the class is at 10. So it makes no sense to shower and get dressed and then go sweat. So I come home and shower and dress and the day is half gone. Nope. (There is a MWF class earlier that is more advanced exercise. And I think there is even a killer class before that one. So I have choices. I chose none of them.)

Oh these landscape guys are really doing a great job! They are clearing out all the old winter stuff out of the beds and it's looking lovely.

Time to get into the shower and get dressed.

20260119_080227-COLLAGE
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Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-18 07:38 am

Protein in the morning

I've been obsessively reading the reddit wegovy sub (which is rather shockingly interesting and supporting and scumless) and have learned that if I do my usual wake up and go play 2 hours of volleyball without eating or drinking anything, it might not feel great. So I'm gathering options. One option, of course, is to wake up earlier and get coffee and breakfast. That is not yet off the table. But, I also bought some crustables yesterday - honey and peanut butter - to munch on the way and just now I'm baking some egg muffins. Eggs, cheese, sausage crumbles... that I can keep in the fridge, nuke and eat on the way. I also bought some protein shakes but I'm not hopeful they will be anything other than disgusting. (However, that's how I felt about oat milk on oatmeal and I was dead wrong there.)

I went to turn on the dishwasher last night and saw that the sealant at the bottom of the door was nearly completely gone. So I placed a work order and turned it off. I'll run it today when I'm awake and can stop it if it leaks. I'd really not like to go back to washing dishes but I'd rather than than mopping floor.

I did not leave my apartment after the game started but did check the score. Ooops. Sad to be a 49er fan. I am happy not to live in the condo any more. Seahawks fans are not lovely to have in your neighborhood - especially when the team is winning. They are not in their own neighborhoods so they feel free to act like wild animals and the cleanup is always painful. I do not miss it.

Today I have plans to do the usual. Jigsaw puzzle in the elbow, TV and knitting. But also I plan to pack up all my shoes. I have paper grocery bags to put them in and I can store them on the floor on the far side of the bed. Then on Friday morning, I can take down all the hanging clothes and plop them onto the bed. I did get a note from Closets by Design to expect the install to take an hour and a half and they will be here before 11.

Ok the muffins are done.

PXL_20260118_154821262

My goal was to make them in the most simple manner possible. So. I took the silicone molds and placed them into the air fryer pan. I sprinkled in some frozen sausage crumbles. Then I added a layer of shredded cheddar cheese and poured in some eggbeater and cooked it at 350 for 20 minutes. Straight out of the oven they weren't bad. They need a few more sausage crumbles, a bit more cheese and a little bit less egg. But, I need to taste them after they have been fridged and then nuked to be sure. But, this could clearly be a viable option. It was sure easy and the only dishes dirtied were the molds and a fork I used to stir the ingredients in each muffin mold.

I turned on the dishwasher about 15 minutes ago. No leaking so far. Whew.

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susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-17 02:01 pm

Merry Christmas

My nephew's not-yet-fiance sent me a Christmas card wishing me happy holidays from her and my nephew and included two photographs - one of her and her two dogs and one of her and my nephew. Oh and the envelope had two return address stickers - one on the back and one on the front - same address so, of course, I Google mapped the shit out of that. Google says most of her online presence is Facebook so my journey ended. It's ok, I know enough. I'm flattered to be included but it's still kind of weird.

Both cats are in the dog bed. I think it's all good under there.

Elbow Coffee was pretty good all things considered.

And now everyone but me is hunkered down waiting for the game to start. Assuming an hour of pregame crap, they have a couple of hours to wait yet.
susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-17 12:08 pm

La chambre du chat

1768680279126~2

Ok everything is positioned and velcro'd down and cameras placed and fuck is it dusty under there. I had a coughing fit like I haven't had in ages. But it is all done. Biggie is happy. Julio is going in and out - not willing to commit.
catness: (catwoman)
Cat Gray ([personal profile] catness) wrote2026-01-17 09:54 pm
Entry tags:

Snowflake Challenge #9 - tropes

Snowflake Challenge: A warmly light quaint street of shops at night with heavy snow falling.

Talk about your favorite tropes in media or transformative works. (Feel free to substitute in theme/motif/cliche if "trope" doesn't resonate with you.)

Oooh tropes! I love classifications and patterns and TVTropes ;) To avoid the overload, listing just 10 favourites, in no particular order.

(Warning! These links lead to TVTropes, and they may cause you lose hours of time, if you're not careful ;)

GroundhogDayLoop Time loops in any form, not necessarily one day, it can take from a few days to a few years. It's so cool to see the same events happening in subtly different ways. Some interesting examples involve re-experiencing the same events as a different character.

PerspectiveFlip Bad guys are actually good, and good guys are actually bad, and everything we had believed in was wrong :) History is written by winners. This is mainly a fandom trope because it requires an established baseline, but it can work with original fiction as well.

UnreliableNarrator There are so many ways to make it work! From characters who are deliberately lying to those who are genuinely mistaken, gaslighted or neurodivergent.

FairPlayWhodunnit A classic detective mystery, presented like a puzzle, which the reader can solve alongside the fictional detective. I love puzzles, provided they are not abstract like chess or sudoku, but have a solid story and clues.

VirtualReality Our real lives are still not integrated with computers enough, but at least we can get full integration in fiction...

DeadlyGame All kinds of high-stake competitions where the players risk their lives, and are often forced to participate. Works very well with Virtual Reality, but also in any kind of a dystopian environment.

SplitPersonality A classic twist that never gets old for me! Works well with Unreliable Narrator trope. 

WizardingSchool Schools of magic or other unusual disciplines like teaching villains, fictional characters etc. There are so many variations!

GroupedForYourConvenience For fans of classifications and patterns and personality tests. Hogwarts Houses, the Hunger Games districts, the Divergent factions, Westeros families, 9 planets of the Locked Tomb... etc etc

Metafiction Breaking the 4th wall, and messing up with your mind. Works best with computer games. (Some examples: OneShot, A Pet Shop After Dark, and don't forget the famous Doki Doki Literature Club ;)
susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-17 07:51 am

Saturday

Well, the big news today is upcoming mail. My email from USPS says I am getting something in an envelope from my nephew's new girlfriend. ???? She has gotten 5 star reviews from my nephew and my brother (his father - they met at the other nephew's wedding last October). I am dying of curiosity. BUT, often, the email from USPS says I am getting something today and it doesn't come until tomorrow and in this case, tomorrow is Tuesday so I am steeling myself for disappointment. When the mail person finishes filling the boxes here, Timber Ridge sends out a "mail's here!" notice which I always ignore. Except for today!!

Yesterday, I had a knock at the door and it was Jim Across The Hall. Usually he has a question but yesterday he knocked to proudly show off his haircut and shave! He had gone down to the new beauty parlour and gotten himself beautified and was so proud. It was very cute. His caregivers are taking very good care of him and I'm glad.

Here at Timber Ridge we have a great caregiver program. Especially trained people are dispatched for whatever is needed. You can get them by the hour or by the day. Myrna had one that spent the night in her apartment when she needed it. Jim rotate through different ones that come for an hour in the morning and and hour in the afternoon and they are doing such a good job making sure he has clean clothes and knows where they are, gets meals and... gets a much needed haircut and shave. And I love his response to it.

I made another of the funky dolls. The first one (turquoise dress) was made from the top of the head down. The second one was made from the butt up (and I tweaked some stuff). The second one was not as fiddly but still I think these will be the only two. Martha will adopt them.

20260116_201920-COLLAGE

This time next week, hopefully, I'll be playing volleyball!

This morning I'm going to dash out to Safeway before elbow coffee. The rest of the world will be there stocking up on football watching foods. The local NFL teams plays a playoff game at 5 tonight and the hype is at its hypiest.

I did move the two cat beds from the closet to under the bed. They aren't plugged in but the cats still gave them a whirl. Next I need to Velcro the dog bed down. It's hard to move but they manage. They are adapting well and enjoying their downstairs bedroom. Julio even got one of their toys and left it near the bed for those emergency toy situations.

20260116_201942-COLLAGE
susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-16 07:25 am

And the year is coming together

By this time next week, the pool may be totally fixed and operational!! We hope. On Tuesday, Erica, the fitness director, indicated it could be lots of weeks yet but she did say she was operating on old info. They sent out an email yesterday saying the fix would be installed early next week. So... maybe.

Wednesday, my Wegovy should be here.
Friday, my new closet gets installed.

Now if I can just get Biggie's bladder stones resolved, I'd declare this year a success! The next vet appointment isn't until February so I'll hold off on declarations...

For the record, oatmeal with oat milk is pretty darned ok.

I spent a lot of time yesterday getting the Food & Beverage stuff organized. Most of what I did yesterday was one off - Roster, calendar, etc. Today I need to finish up and get it to Harriet. I'll do that this morning.

Then I need to unhook the cat beds and move them. We need some days to get used to the situation before the new closet goes in.

Across the Hall Jim (not Down the Hall Jim) now has caregivers who come twice a day. They make sure he has meals and isn't doing anything crazy. I had a chance to talk to one of them yesterday. She said that she had heard that he was short listed for the Memory Care Unit. Memory Care is a small wing that is tightly controlled. The residents are not allowed to leave the hall unescorted. The residents there are mostly bright and cheery and remember nothing. They need constant care. That's Jim. The unit is mostly always full so someone's gotta kick the bucket to make room for Jim. But, at least, everyone now fully knows that he's out of marbles.

Yesterday afternoon, I got a new little thing knitting pattern and tried it out. I love the end result but I think it was way too fiddly to do. This morning I like her way better than yesterday so I may change my mind but for now, she's a one off


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Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-15 10:09 am

6 minutes

From the time I clicked on This Will Destroy All Your Data OK until the time I started this entry. 6 minutes. Everything back in place and operational. This time, it gave me the option of setting up the Chromebook via my phone which saved me some typing. I have loved Chromebooks forever and still do today.

The headline is that my Wegovy will be here next Wednesday. I'm all paid for and confirmed. So, to recap, doctor sent prescription in Monday morning - she said it would take a few hours to get set up to order. I got response Tuesday afternoon. Account set up/ordering Thursday morning. But, could the the January rush.

I met with Harriet and got the agenda for next week all noodled out. Now I just need to do it. I think I'll just go ahead and do it now and get it done.
susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-15 07:46 am

Tracked Our

I had planned to track a bunch of stuff every day. But, when my brother was here, I fell off the wagon. And now that it looks like I'll be tracking shots, body and meals, maybe I won't do the rest OR maybe I'll do it differently.

And... speaking of shots. Crickets from NovoCare. Well, not totally. I did get a request to opt into texts. Which I did. Then crickets. Because I asked my doctor to try Amazon, the request went to my insurer who declined BUT they did recommend I try NovoCare! haha So I wait.

I pulled out my Kindle Scribe for note taking at the meeting yesterday and then I volunteered to take the minutes and prepare the agenda. I scribbled in the scribe which was perfect. But I spent some time with it last night and figured out how to write with the pen quickly in a manner that I can then easily turn into text when I get home. Harriet, the committee chair, has Apple and Word so I can use Google docs, save it as Word and she'll be able to tweak it. She wants to meet this morning at 9. So there goes my day of nothing BUT I need to pick up our floor's Timber Ridge Times anyway so no biggie.

After that, I'll take the day off.

The cats finally got together in their dog bed, but they slept in their closet beds. I guess I'll move those to under the bed, too. We'll have bunk beds! Dibs on top.

1768448793650

I think I need to power wash this Chromebook which in chromebook-ese means take it back to factory settings. It's an easy and fast enough thing to do. It's just getting slow-ish and it's been a long time.

But, first I need to get dressed. My pajamas are nice but not Meet Harriet nice.

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catness: (lonelyroad)
Cat Gray ([personal profile] catness) wrote2026-01-15 04:18 pm
Entry tags:

Snowflake Challenge #8 - creative process

Snowflake Challenge: A warmly light quaint street of shops at night with heavy snow falling.

Challenge #8 : Talk about your creative process.

This applies to all creative stuff: programming projects, game development, writing, art.

1. Challenge. Sometimes I come up with project ideas myself, but usually I need an external push :( that's why I'm a sucker for courses with homework assignments, challenge communities, workbooks and such. 

2. Concept. Just thinking about it, checking various options in my head. Sometimes Tarot help too.

3. Research. Check the source materials, facts I want to include, frameworks I want to use if applicable, art that inspires me, etc.

4. Drafts. Playing around in a quick&dirty way, disregarding all the rules. I can't do outlines / detailed planning and specifications and such... Most of the details are too vague at this stage, and everything is too much in flux anyway and may drastically change from my original vision. Some things are not feasible, some entirely new things come up in the process.

5. Patchwork. Fixing / completing stuff in random order, jumping between different parts, whatever calls for attention.

6. TODO list. When the project is close to completion, a TODO list emerges naturally, and now it's satisfying to cross out completed entries one by one (but still in random order).

7. Debugging.  Especially with writing, I go through the piece from start to end in an endless loop, fixing something small every time. For images, fixing pixels here and there. For games, fixing bugs / improving item placements, colours, messages, updating puzzle chains, etc. Sometimes adding new stuff and whole new scenes. Starting to get exhausted...

8. Packaging. Preparing for release, when applicable. Screenshots, descriptions, the prompt headers formatting, etc. Totally annoying and I hate this stage. 

9. Complete/release - by this time I thoroughly hate the project, so it's always a relief ;)
susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-14 04:37 pm

Today was packed - I'm taking tomorrow off

I practicing Wegovy. I went to the store after exercise class and got foods that I don't hate but don't get often and some that I never get. Yogurt. I have a thing lately about strawberry yogurt. I found some with zero sugar and 20G protein in a brand I like so I bought some assuming I would hate it. (Spoiler alert, it's delicious.)

Before I got home, I got a ping that the cats' dog bed was here. I picked it up and was nearly to my apartment when Ngon in the Bistro called to say my special order was ready. This was an order for a dozen cookies and 8 cheese scones. Not part of the Wegovy prep but I'm going to eat them anyway.

I got an app. My brother uses one that is too much for me but I found one that is perfect - pep. It tracks everything - shots, weight (with photos) and food via input and also AI photos. And it does a good job. I got a poke bowl for lunch. It had all of the numbers listed on the label. I scooped it all into a bowl did the AI camera thing and it landed the same number of calories, protein, and fiber as the label. Impressive.

Then it was time for my food and beverage meeting which was fine then I had to come home and type up the minutes and the agenda for next week. Which I did and sent it off to the chairman.

Then I set up the cats' dog bed. It's the perfect size for both of them. I set it up under the bed where you cannot see it without getting down there. I moved the cat cam so that I don't have to get down there. Looks like I need to tidy up that one cable. And Biggie needs to learn how to share.

2026_01_14_16_48_37_0

Tomorrow I have no plans and I plan to do nothing.
susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-14 08:03 am

Wednesday

Here's a tip for getting a new scale after not having one for a really long time... Yesterday, when the scale arrived, it was mid day and I was fully clothed - I tried it out. I did take off my shoes. Today I weighed myself right after I got up and peed. Nearly no clothes. I lost a kilometer!! And my scale draws a little graph line so mine went way down. VERY satisfying. Fictional but satisfying. (And, yeah, my doctor's office tracks weight in kilograms so I decided to follow suit.)

I had a text from NovoCare this morning wanting me opt in to texts. So I know they have my number in their system for sure and it's just a wait.

When the new closet gets installed, the cat beds will have to move. They are heated but one of them doesn't even heat any more. So I ordered them a big, heated dog bed with bolsters. Since under the bed is now empty and I do NOT want to use it for any storage, I'm planning on putting the dog bed there. They like it under there anyway.

This afternoon is my first Food and Beverage Committee Meeting. They meet in private on the 2nd Wednesday and then hold a public meeting on the 3rd. Should be interesting. Before that - this morning - is exercise class at 10. In between, I might make a quick trip to the grocery store. I want some yogurt and cheese and maybe other stuff.

That's rather a busy day for me. Better get going with it.

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Cat Gray ([personal profile] catness) wrote2026-01-14 08:42 am
Entry tags:

Snowflake Challenge #7 - things you like about yourself

Snowflake Challenge: A warmly light quaint street of shops at night with heavy snow falling.

Challenge #7. LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.

These questions are getting harder...

1. I have programming skills. Obviously not as good as many people out there who create OSes and program robots, but I can make apps and utilities both for work and for my own hobbies, and even simple games.

2. I'm branching out into art and music, after years of certainty that I have no talent. While it's still true, I'm less scared of experimenting and messing up.

3. Not necessarily a positive quality, but I'm addicted to learning, and not shy to try out new tech things like apps, frameworks, approaches, gadgets. (Although I'm quite conservative with my physical/mundane environment and hate any changes in that area.)
susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-13 02:33 pm

I'm a cliche!!

I got back into the doctor's portal and sent a note that text #2 was a bust as well. 15 minutes later, I got the text from the original phone number. (I did go back to the portal and delete my note. It was marked as unread so I think I got there in time.)

Welcome! NovoCare Pharmacy® has received your prescription for WEGO from Dr. MALASHANKA and will send important updates as we process the order. The NovoCare® Program needs your consent to move forward. Please go to https://novocare.iassist.com/obes/ptauth?Token=437271676 to provide CONSENT. If you prefer to pick up at your local retail pharmacy, call 1-888-809-3942. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to end sms or call 1-888-809-3942 for questions.

Hilariously, that phone number gets you put on hold forever. I waited 45 minutes the first time and 68 minutes the second time. Never did talk to a person. So forget my local retail pharmacy. Not that I wanted it anyway. I did answer all their question and signed my life away. No money requested yet so we are still in process.

BUT the wait times did remind me that I am now a member of a club that probably has 8 out of 10 Americans - people to look to lose weight after Christmas. Doh!

My house cleaner sent a sub today who came an hour earlier which was a surprise, but fine.

My new scale arrived. It was a bit of a trick to find a convenient spot for it, but I did. It's all set up and ready to go.
susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-13 11:47 am

Good but not fabulous

The Closets By Design lady was late and lost. She called me AFTER 10 (when she was supposed to be here) saying she could not figure out what door to come in. I told her to come to the Timber Ridge main office and repeated the address. She couldn't figure it out so I told her to just forget it. Cancel the meeting. I hung up. One of the two reasons I was interested in that firm was that they have done work here before - lots. But, apparently, not her.

About 10 minutes after that I got a call from the front desk that she was here. When I left my apartment to go downstairs, my plan was to tell her not to let the door hit her in the butt. BUTT it is a long way from here to the front desk and I decided not to be a butthole and so I let her in. I wasn't terribly gracious and I still don't like her but I bought her system anyway.

She was fairly efficient and gave me some bullshit but not much. Her plan was basically what I asked for and gave me a closet that makes sense and houses all my shit. In my head I was thinking six weeks and $5k. Her end price (after all her faux discounts) came to $3,978 and they will install it a week from Friday.

She said she'd scan the design this afternoon and send it. Hope it gets here faster than the NoroCare text. Still nothing there.

Now that she's made the sale, I don't have to deal with her any more and the install guys for sure know where this place is. I'm ok with the deal and better than ok with the timeline. And I'm really looking forward to my new closet.
susandennis: (Default)
Susan Dennis ([personal profile] susandennis) wrote2026-01-13 07:41 am

Back

Today is no rain so far and the snow capped mountains are back and it's not yet 8 and there is enough daylight to see those mountains. Ooops we're losing winter.

I slept really well last night. My bed (95), Fitbit (89) and I agree. Good thing cause I got stuff happening today. I hope.

The closet designer is supposed to be here at 10. I have received 2 phone messages and 3 emails telling me so. I'm guessing they have a lot of customers who request appointments and forget??? I have this niggly suspicion that they are going to not be/do what I want them to be/do. But, there are other closet people I can call.

So when I met with my doctor last week, she explained two semaglutide options (I know there are more and she likely would have been willing to discuss more but we talked about two) - wegovy and zepbound. She explained the differences kind of briefly and we left it with 'make an appointment for April and we'll decide then'. Yesterday, I sent her a note telling her I was ready to start now and asking her if I should make an appointment for now. I got a message back within the hour that she had sent my prescription for wegovy to NovoCare and that I should get a text in a few hours. I did not. But the NovoCare website agreed with her - that I would get a text to start the onboarding process.

I have two phone numbers - both ring and text on my phone. One is a Google voice number and one is a MintMobile number. I've never used text with this doctor so I did not know which number she had. I went to the online portal and tried to enter my cell number for verification. You had to give them your name and your number and then pick from a fairly limited list of cellphone companies. Of course neither of my cellphone companies was on that list so no joy. At all. Finally at the end of the day, I sent her a new note with both numbers and she replied that she had sent in yet another request with the second number (implying the first had been with the first number) and if I didn't hear today to let her know.

So far. No text on either number. I think if I don't hear anything by the time the closet person leaves, I'll try calling the NovoCare number. (Yes, I know there are all manner of different alternatives to similar drugs available in all manner of ways but for now, I'd like to stick to what my doctor recommends for me which is, apparently, Wegovy and NovoCare. IF one or both fail, I'll consider alternatives.

I did spend way too much time combing through Reddit last night in a what to expect when you are expecting kind of troll. It was interesting and I think I learned a lot.

Oh and my doctor did say that she wants to know how much I weigh at various steps along the way so I asked Amazon to please bring me a scale. It should arrive today.

Also it is house cleaning day.

Last week so so much fun with Bill here and soooooo productive. He'll be back in June. I suspect the Todo list will be way shorter.

20260112_194253-COLLAGE
melchar: bucky katt making a statement (bucky)
melchar ([personal profile] melchar) wrote in [community profile] basfa2026-01-12 08:34 pm

BASFA minutes for January 12, 2026

Minutes of Meeting #1843
Monday, January 12, 2026

Trey Haddad, President
Ken Patterson, Vice President
Dave Gallaher, Treasurer
Galen Tripp & Laser Pistol Packin’ Mama, Sergeants at Arms
Barbara Johnson-Haddad, Secretary
meeting held online AND meeting live at Parktown Pizza [at Meridian & Hillsdale in SJ]
https://www.parktownpizza.com

***************************
NEW ZOOM FOR 2026
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82190960810?pwd=k8qAIDt9sntTTLOI6FoerafmYvU2AR.1

Meeting ID: 821 9096 0810
Passcode: B4SF41D
---
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,82190960810#,,,,*5724576#
---
By Telephone
669-900-9128
Meeting ID: 821 9096 0810
Passcode: 5724576
Find your local number:https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcSpSAHaD
***************************

Called to order at 8 pm
9live/4online beings attended the meeting

The minutes of meeting 1842 were accepted as 'something or other'

Proxy Treasurer's report = Regular: $15,805.32
Party: $230.58
Money can be sent to salve guilt via PayPal - sent to: dwgallaher@gmail.com
Though we have accrued $163.59 since the resumption of live meetings.

the VP reported that everything is copy and paste

the President had nothing fannish to report

There were no committee reports

no old or new business

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Ken announced that Starfleet Academy starts this Thursday on Paramount Plus TV

Yochanan announced that Fallout, season 2 is now airing, 'House of the Dragon' - a 'Game of Thrones' spin-off is also airing & a new series also spun from 'Game of Thrones' will be airing soon, that will be called 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms'

Lisa announced that there's a convention coming up this next weekend, FurCon - January 15th through Monday, January 19th at the San Jose Convention Center. You can still register at-con
see = https://furtherconfusion.org/

Reviews:

Yochanan reviewed an Amazon Prime show called 'Secret Level', an animated anthology that tend to feature very short but visually stunning episodes - all worth full price
see = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Level
Yochanan also reviewed another Amazon Prime show called 'It, Welcome to Derry', a semi-prequel to the Stephen King novel 'It' as being rather interesting, while a bit on the mystical side. It's somewhat over the top with violence and worth paying full price to see
see = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_%E2%80%93_Welcome_to_Derry
Yochanan also reviewed a Netflix show called '1899' that starts as a historical drama, moves on to time travel and science fiction. He thought it had lots of potential - but sadly there is only the one season. He enjoyed the use of multiple languages, but thinks the English dub is terrible. He considers it still well-worth watching and also recommends the 'making of' special, as well. Rick agrees with Yochanan's opinion & there was some discussion of the topic
see = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1899_(TV_series)

Gerald reviewed the word 'perfidy' as a nasty bit of war crime that the U.S. Navy is currently being called upon to perform by the present administration

we adjourned at = 8:28 pm

Rumor of the Week: 'Further Confusion is more than a name, it's an attitude'

there were no auctions