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Covid diary: day 5
Mar. 20th, 2024 07:46 pmLast day of paxlovid. Excellent timing because I just ran out of candy.
( progress is progressing like a progressive thing )
( progress is progressing like a progressive thing )
End result: Still testing negative. THANK YOU for all the suggestions and advice, I will keep them in my pocket for next time.
***
You would think that having a week off work would give me time to finally get caught up on all the things. You would be entirely incorrect in that assumption.
This is probably because I hit a pretty solid wall on Friday night and just went, welp no more work for me. Take-away roti and beer and video games was how I spent the last two days of my week off work.
Maybe this weekend.
***
Housemate is still in the hospital. They are now testing negative for covid but the doctors are trying to chase down the reason for all the other health problems they've been dealing with. This is a good thing, their doctor has been trying to get a specialist referral for eight months so they are finally getting some traction on that.
This is what it takes now I guess. Same thing happened with the Old Man was referred to a specialist with a two-year waiting list. He finally got the tests he needed done when the issue landed him in Emergency.
***
As for me, I think I might have actually done something to my knee - either the gout actually damaged something or I also managed to twist it maybe when it was already hurting so much I didn't notice. I can bend it fine now, but it seems like it doesn't want to completely unbend all the way? Like if I straighten it fully it legit feels like there is a twig lodged under one side of my kneecap.
It doesn't hurt and I've been walking around on it for the past couple of days - yesterday to my gf's place and today to the hospital to drop off some clean laundry - both places about a half hour walk each way. But every once in a while one of the muscles to the side or back will spasm, and that does hurt.
Very weird.
***
Builder didn't come around all last week. I told him we were plague house so he scheduled his crew to work on other sites. In theory he's back tomorrow.
This is the sooong that neeeveer ends...
***
You would think that having a week off work would give me time to finally get caught up on all the things. You would be entirely incorrect in that assumption.
This is probably because I hit a pretty solid wall on Friday night and just went, welp no more work for me. Take-away roti and beer and video games was how I spent the last two days of my week off work.
Maybe this weekend.
***
Housemate is still in the hospital. They are now testing negative for covid but the doctors are trying to chase down the reason for all the other health problems they've been dealing with. This is a good thing, their doctor has been trying to get a specialist referral for eight months so they are finally getting some traction on that.
This is what it takes now I guess. Same thing happened with the Old Man was referred to a specialist with a two-year waiting list. He finally got the tests he needed done when the issue landed him in Emergency.
***
As for me, I think I might have actually done something to my knee - either the gout actually damaged something or I also managed to twist it maybe when it was already hurting so much I didn't notice. I can bend it fine now, but it seems like it doesn't want to completely unbend all the way? Like if I straighten it fully it legit feels like there is a twig lodged under one side of my kneecap.
It doesn't hurt and I've been walking around on it for the past couple of days - yesterday to my gf's place and today to the hospital to drop off some clean laundry - both places about a half hour walk each way. But every once in a while one of the muscles to the side or back will spasm, and that does hurt.
Very weird.
***
Builder didn't come around all last week. I told him we were plague house so he scheduled his crew to work on other sites. In theory he's back tomorrow.
This is the sooong that neeeveer ends...
doing the math
Feb. 28th, 2024 10:37 pmThe hospital is keeping housemate for a couple of days. They weren't able to keep anything down, including the Paxlovid, so I'm assuming the doctors were concerned about dehydration. Honestly, based on their symptoms I would have guessed Norovirus and not Covid, but hey, masking and hand-washing is good for not catching both right?
So my confirmed exposure was on Friday. My last potential exposure was yesterday. Assuming the housemate is clean when they come home and I continue to test negative, I can be around other people... Monday? That's five full days after being in the same room masked. That sound about right?
Hrm, just found this guideline that says mask for ten days after exposure. So if I count from Friday as my confirmed exposure that means I'm clear on Tuesday, or the following Saturday if I count from masked one.
*throws hands in the air*
This is the stupidest fucking time line.
In the meantime I'm running out of supplies. I need to see how much it costs to get food delivered. I know it's only $3 to get it pre-packed for me if I walk over and pick it up and that's probably safe enough if I do it during a low-traffic time slot.
You know, back when I worked with HIV I got to wear a full-ass hazmat suit. I have always regretted not stealing one. Going to pick up groceries while wearing a hazmat suit would honestly be a hoot.
***
Kitchen guy came in today for a couple of hours. He's still fiddling with a faucet that's fighting him and then he's done, hopefully tomorrow. Builder texted to say he scheduled with his crew to return on Monday and finish the drywall in the basement.
When I see kitchen guy I need to ask him for the name of the paint they used for the walls because who already put a big scuff in it by pulling the painters tape off too fast? This asshole right here.
***
I spoke to my dad on the phone today and it was really worrying how hard it was to get him to understand me. He also told me he had pneumonia last week - which means he's been sick three times in as many months. I get that it's not always possible to dodge illness, but three times since Xmas? That's concerning.
So my confirmed exposure was on Friday. My last potential exposure was yesterday. Assuming the housemate is clean when they come home and I continue to test negative, I can be around other people... Monday? That's five full days after being in the same room masked. That sound about right?
Hrm, just found this guideline that says mask for ten days after exposure. So if I count from Friday as my confirmed exposure that means I'm clear on Tuesday, or the following Saturday if I count from masked one.
*throws hands in the air*
This is the stupidest fucking time line.
In the meantime I'm running out of supplies. I need to see how much it costs to get food delivered. I know it's only $3 to get it pre-packed for me if I walk over and pick it up and that's probably safe enough if I do it during a low-traffic time slot.
You know, back when I worked with HIV I got to wear a full-ass hazmat suit. I have always regretted not stealing one. Going to pick up groceries while wearing a hazmat suit would honestly be a hoot.
***
Kitchen guy came in today for a couple of hours. He's still fiddling with a faucet that's fighting him and then he's done, hopefully tomorrow. Builder texted to say he scheduled with his crew to return on Monday and finish the drywall in the basement.
When I see kitchen guy I need to ask him for the name of the paint they used for the walls because who already put a big scuff in it by pulling the painters tape off too fast? This asshole right here.
***
I spoke to my dad on the phone today and it was really worrying how hard it was to get him to understand me. He also told me he had pneumonia last week - which means he's been sick three times in as many months. I get that it's not always possible to dodge illness, but three times since Xmas? That's concerning.
the plague diaries: Day Four
Feb. 27th, 2024 06:29 pmSo I'm the one who's not contagious right? And I'm quarantining anyway, because virus in the house and the not-zero risk of being asymptomatic and still infectious.
So guess who's not here?
Housemate announced they had to send some mail out, so off they went. I did offer to do it for them. That was three-four hours ago, and they haven't returned yet.
Oh wait, maybe they went to the hospital. They did say they wanted to. If that's the case I probably won't see them until tomorrow.
---
Kitchen boxes are unpacked. Some stuff I just said fuck it and threw it back into a box because what am I going to do with two coffee makers or six corkscrews? I'll let the housemate go through it and see if they need to take any of it with them, and then maybe whoever moves into the basement can probably use some of it. Whatever is left will go to my sister's shelter. They take donations of household items for their clients when they manage to get them permanent housing.
For my next trick, watching youtube videos about how to change the bulbs on potlights until I find somebody who is showing my specific model. It could be that the person who installed it just screwed it too tight to loosen - we had one light where we finally just had to smash the cover to get into it. But I want to be a lot more confident that's the actual problem before I take a pair of pliers to it.
Said pot-light is in my toilet and it's the only light in there so it's peeing in the dark until I figure it out. The bulb did last over 10 years in the first place.
---
[ETA] They did in fact go to the hospital. Kinda surprised they were able to get admitted, but maybe the doctors want to keep them for observation for a while.
So guess who's not here?
Housemate announced they had to send some mail out, so off they went. I did offer to do it for them. That was three-four hours ago, and they haven't returned yet.
Oh wait, maybe they went to the hospital. They did say they wanted to. If that's the case I probably won't see them until tomorrow.
---
Kitchen boxes are unpacked. Some stuff I just said fuck it and threw it back into a box because what am I going to do with two coffee makers or six corkscrews? I'll let the housemate go through it and see if they need to take any of it with them, and then maybe whoever moves into the basement can probably use some of it. Whatever is left will go to my sister's shelter. They take donations of household items for their clients when they manage to get them permanent housing.
For my next trick, watching youtube videos about how to change the bulbs on potlights until I find somebody who is showing my specific model. It could be that the person who installed it just screwed it too tight to loosen - we had one light where we finally just had to smash the cover to get into it. But I want to be a lot more confident that's the actual problem before I take a pair of pliers to it.
Said pot-light is in my toilet and it's the only light in there so it's peeing in the dark until I figure it out. The bulb did last over 10 years in the first place.
---
[ETA] They did in fact go to the hospital. Kinda surprised they were able to get admitted, but maybe the doctors want to keep them for observation for a while.
the plague diaries: Day Two
Feb. 25th, 2024 01:02 pmTested negative this morning. So far so good.
I took all the pill stuff, and sprayed the stinging stuff up my nose, and dropped the goopy stuff in my eyes, and rinsed my mouth with the minty stuff. I ran the portable HVAC next to the head of my bed last night and have it sitting on my desk next to me while I eat breakfast. The biggest challenge is food prep - I've been washing my plates before I use them, but I still have to actually make my meals in the kitchen (KITCHEN!) which is right next to the room where they are sleeping on the couch. With no separating door.
This is one way that climate change is doing me a solid, I've had all the windows open during the day and it's warm enough that I can get away with it.
Meanwhile, I took this week off work so I could sort my kitchen and I figure, well, I might as well. So I masked up and threw open all the windows and scrubbed out all the cupboards and shelves. My left knee still won't bend all the way (and it's VERY unhappy about all the walking I did for the last two days) and at least once I got stuck on the floor for a while when I got down to mop out a lower drawer and then couldn't figure out how to get back up again. (I figured it out eventually, obviously. It involved some incantations of the four-letter variety.)
Today I will start opening up boxes and see what I've got in there. I gotta tell you, I have a mighty desire to buy new cookware. Especially since I suspect a lot of my old pots won't work on the induction stove.
Maybe I should have a kitchen-warming party. Bring a pot! That should work out in my favour either way, right?
I took all the pill stuff, and sprayed the stinging stuff up my nose, and dropped the goopy stuff in my eyes, and rinsed my mouth with the minty stuff. I ran the portable HVAC next to the head of my bed last night and have it sitting on my desk next to me while I eat breakfast. The biggest challenge is food prep - I've been washing my plates before I use them, but I still have to actually make my meals in the kitchen (KITCHEN!) which is right next to the room where they are sleeping on the couch. With no separating door.
This is one way that climate change is doing me a solid, I've had all the windows open during the day and it's warm enough that I can get away with it.
Meanwhile, I took this week off work so I could sort my kitchen and I figure, well, I might as well. So I masked up and threw open all the windows and scrubbed out all the cupboards and shelves. My left knee still won't bend all the way (and it's VERY unhappy about all the walking I did for the last two days) and at least once I got stuck on the floor for a while when I got down to mop out a lower drawer and then couldn't figure out how to get back up again. (I figured it out eventually, obviously. It involved some incantations of the four-letter variety.)
Today I will start opening up boxes and see what I've got in there. I gotta tell you, I have a mighty desire to buy new cookware. Especially since I suspect a lot of my old pots won't work on the induction stove.
Maybe I should have a kitchen-warming party. Bring a pot! That should work out in my favour either way, right?
unbutton the butcher in your heart
Nov. 2nd, 2023 03:56 pmNovember 2023
1 – Extra Mile Day: When was the last time you went the extra mile for someone, or someone went the extra mile for you? Tell us about it.
That's one of those questions that's hard to answer because it's just part of normal life. I stayed late at work to help somebody out? I do as much stuff as I can for the Old Man? People will go out of their way to help me if I'm stuck on something. That's just normal life, isn't it?
2 – Stress Awareness Day: How stressful is your everyday life? How well do you deal with stress? Do you have any tried-and-true strategies for handling stress?
HAHAHAHA O my fucking God.
I CAN TELL YOU that right now I am drinking too much and sleeping too little. I'm still working out every day, and that keeps me mostly sane, but also that's... really not keeping up right now.
Money has become A Fucking Problem. I just need to keep it together for another six months. Tomorrow before I go for my weekly Old Man visit I have to swing by the bank FOR THE THIRD FUCKING TIME and ask them AGAIN for the cheques on the credit line that opened THREE FUCKING MONTHS AGO and have not been able to use because I don't have any way to get the money out. And then maybe Monday I'll try to get the phones sorted out so we're being billed separately.
Yeah. So. sTreSS. I am aware of it. Thanks.
I had an interesting conversation with my girlfriend this week about how I appear much more stressed in my DW entries than I do when she talks to me in person. That seems really weird to me, because I have been venting about this non-stop for months. Like really I'm not sure why she hasn't told me to shut up yet.
And it's been sticking in my mind because that appears to be a life-long thing for me, and I have no idea why. I tell people something Is A Problem and Holy Shit Does This Need To Be Fixed and Here It Comes: The Consequences and I use my words and explain what I mean in as much detail as I can and I ask them if they understand and they say yes. And then when the dust settles they say, "Oh I didn't know you meant it."
And I'm kinda like... Why not? What is it about my body language or my words that makes me sound like I don't mean it? I genuinely have no idea.
1 – Extra Mile Day: When was the last time you went the extra mile for someone, or someone went the extra mile for you? Tell us about it.
That's one of those questions that's hard to answer because it's just part of normal life. I stayed late at work to help somebody out? I do as much stuff as I can for the Old Man? People will go out of their way to help me if I'm stuck on something. That's just normal life, isn't it?
2 – Stress Awareness Day: How stressful is your everyday life? How well do you deal with stress? Do you have any tried-and-true strategies for handling stress?
HAHAHAHA O my fucking God.
I CAN TELL YOU that right now I am drinking too much and sleeping too little. I'm still working out every day, and that keeps me mostly sane, but also that's... really not keeping up right now.
Money has become A Fucking Problem. I just need to keep it together for another six months. Tomorrow before I go for my weekly Old Man visit I have to swing by the bank FOR THE THIRD FUCKING TIME and ask them AGAIN for the cheques on the credit line that opened THREE FUCKING MONTHS AGO and have not been able to use because I don't have any way to get the money out. And then maybe Monday I'll try to get the phones sorted out so we're being billed separately.
Yeah. So. sTreSS. I am aware of it. Thanks.
I had an interesting conversation with my girlfriend this week about how I appear much more stressed in my DW entries than I do when she talks to me in person. That seems really weird to me, because I have been venting about this non-stop for months. Like really I'm not sure why she hasn't told me to shut up yet.
And it's been sticking in my mind because that appears to be a life-long thing for me, and I have no idea why. I tell people something Is A Problem and Holy Shit Does This Need To Be Fixed and Here It Comes: The Consequences and I use my words and explain what I mean in as much detail as I can and I ask them if they understand and they say yes. And then when the dust settles they say, "Oh I didn't know you meant it."
And I'm kinda like... Why not? What is it about my body language or my words that makes me sound like I don't mean it? I genuinely have no idea.
( Questions of Days )
***
Problems only goths have: losing clothes whenever I do laundry because every single thing in the laundry basket is black. I'm missing a bunch of socks and I'm pretty sure they accidentally got folded into my bedsheets.
Guess I'll find them next time I make the bed.
***
I crossed sorting out the "medicine cabinet" off my list - it's actually a dresser drawer where we just toss things we don't have an immediate need for or where we have bought more than one container of something.
Things I discovered in the process.
***
We got another air quality warning today, but I went outside and the air didn't smell like a campfire, so I took the risk of sitting on the patio for a while.
I read this article recently about how Ontario is having trouble keeping experienced fire fighters because the bill that restricts public employee's pay includes fire fighters and so people are saying "Fuck this, I can have a job where I'm not living in a tent for a month while I risk my life for shitty pay."
And here's the thing, we have so many fires going on in this country right now that the federal government is shipping people in from other countries to help. I have seen videos of South Africans arriving in Alberta. Spanish and Portuguese fire fighters are in Quebec. There are French and American teams in northern Ontario.
So let me get this straight, the provincial government cuts the funding to the firefighting program, cuts the pay of firefighters, cancels the carbon tax, sells large portions of the green belt to developers, cancels green energy programs, and builds a new fucking highway that we don't need right through our core farm country - and then federal money has to be used to fly people in from other countries to fight fires exacerbated by climate change?
How the fuck does this make any kind of sense?
***
Problems only goths have: losing clothes whenever I do laundry because every single thing in the laundry basket is black. I'm missing a bunch of socks and I'm pretty sure they accidentally got folded into my bedsheets.
Guess I'll find them next time I make the bed.
***
I crossed sorting out the "medicine cabinet" off my list - it's actually a dresser drawer where we just toss things we don't have an immediate need for or where we have bought more than one container of something.
Things I discovered in the process.
- A pack of nicotine gum that expired two years ago
- One of those truck-stop energy shots that expired three years ago
- A pack of nicotine patches that expired four years ago
- A pack of allergy meds that expired five years ago
- A bottle of ear-drops that expired six years ago
- A pack of famotidine tablets that expired in 2007
- A prescription jar of cortisol cream from 2002.
- Three packs of sharps
- And a partridge in a pear tree
***
We got another air quality warning today, but I went outside and the air didn't smell like a campfire, so I took the risk of sitting on the patio for a while.
I read this article recently about how Ontario is having trouble keeping experienced fire fighters because the bill that restricts public employee's pay includes fire fighters and so people are saying "Fuck this, I can have a job where I'm not living in a tent for a month while I risk my life for shitty pay."
And here's the thing, we have so many fires going on in this country right now that the federal government is shipping people in from other countries to help. I have seen videos of South Africans arriving in Alberta. Spanish and Portuguese fire fighters are in Quebec. There are French and American teams in northern Ontario.
So let me get this straight, the provincial government cuts the funding to the firefighting program, cuts the pay of firefighters, cancels the carbon tax, sells large portions of the green belt to developers, cancels green energy programs, and builds a new fucking highway that we don't need right through our core farm country - and then federal money has to be used to fly people in from other countries to fight fires exacerbated by climate change?
How the fuck does this make any kind of sense?
time flies slowly
May. 31st, 2023 09:50 pm( Questions Of Days )
***
Today was also the last day of my May vacation days so I'm back to work tomorrow. I spent them all doing appointments and shopping and organizing instead of, you know, vacationing, but it was all stuff that needed to be done. I even cleaned off the front porch, so I can sit outside in the shade when the house gets too hot to stand. Maybe invite somebody over for a socially distanced beer.
***
Took the Old Man out yesterday for An Adventure - we used a the streetcar to take him downtown to go shopping for new shoes. It went way better than I expected, we timed it for mid-workday so both transit and stores weren't at their busiest and we were able to get him around fairly easily. I don't know that I would want to do it alone if it were to a new location though - there were a few times I had to send people on exploratory missions to figure out how to get some place before trying it with the wheelchair. But he handled it all with aplomb and then we went and had lunch on a patio and after he said he'd had a good day.
We agreed that he needed new shoes because he is trying his strength at standing up out of the chair and I want him wearing something with more traction than his slippers so he has a slightly lower chance of landing on his ass. (He's not supposed to, but that's not about to stop him - he has already gotten himself yelled at for getting out of bed by himself when he got tired of waiting for somebody to come and get him.) So if he's going to do it - he's going to wear non-slip shoes.
Maybe I should get him a helmet.
***
Tomorrow I start my turn as host for Write Every Day, which is literally the only trick I have ever found to get me to actually write every day.
I'm sure that would tell me something if I thought about it hard enough.
***
How the fuck is it June tomorrow?
It hit 30 C here today, so I guess we're solidly into Toronto summer. I was hoping the insulation would be in by the time we started feeling like we need the air conditioning but obviously that's not happening.
Contractor was supposed to be here today, but I got a call from one of his guys saying he's dealing with medical tests instead and we'll see him on Tuesday. The dude went through major surgery less than six months ago, I guess I can't really complain.Today was also the last day of my May vacation days so I'm back to work tomorrow. I spent them all doing appointments and shopping and organizing instead of, you know, vacationing, but it was all stuff that needed to be done. I even cleaned off the front porch, so I can sit outside in the shade when the house gets too hot to stand. Maybe invite somebody over for a socially distanced beer.
***
Took the Old Man out yesterday for An Adventure - we used a the streetcar to take him downtown to go shopping for new shoes. It went way better than I expected, we timed it for mid-workday so both transit and stores weren't at their busiest and we were able to get him around fairly easily. I don't know that I would want to do it alone if it were to a new location though - there were a few times I had to send people on exploratory missions to figure out how to get some place before trying it with the wheelchair. But he handled it all with aplomb and then we went and had lunch on a patio and after he said he'd had a good day.
We agreed that he needed new shoes because he is trying his strength at standing up out of the chair and I want him wearing something with more traction than his slippers so he has a slightly lower chance of landing on his ass. (He's not supposed to, but that's not about to stop him - he has already gotten himself yelled at for getting out of bed by himself when he got tired of waiting for somebody to come and get him.) So if he's going to do it - he's going to wear non-slip shoes.
Maybe I should get him a helmet.
***
Tomorrow I start my turn as host for Write Every Day, which is literally the only trick I have ever found to get me to actually write every day.
I'm sure that would tell me something if I thought about it hard enough.
( Questions of Days )
***
We haven't had a return of the flooding incident in spite of the fact that it hasn't stopped raining, so I'm taking that to mean it is from the shower. I have been doing the water conservation thing where I turn off the water while I soap up, so that has probably helped. Hopefully on the weekend I have will have time to start disassembling things.
***
I went on a two-hour hike around High Park last night. It was pissing down rain the whole time, which meant a lot fewer people, which meant the beavers were hanging out. Also cormorants. I didn't even know cormorants live in Ontario. And I got to see the cherry blossoms without dodging 100,000+ people to do it.
Full wildlife count: beaver, cormorants, egrets, Canada geese (of course, those things are like cockroaches up here), mallards, wood ducks, swans, red-wing blackbirds, and a bunch of other birds I couldn't ID. (Maybe lake gulls? There were some that looked like seagulls but smaller and brown.)
Two hours was a perfect length for a first-time hike, I can feel the places in my feet that were starting to blister but didn't actually get any full-on blisters. I'm toying with the idea of buying proper hiking shoes if I'm going to do this on the regular - I normally wear bludstones and they are super comfortable, but I slid around a bit on the wet grass & mud. When you have shitty balance, good traction is your best friend.
***
My work just created a new training module called "active assailant training". So what to do if somebody shows up with a gun and starts shooting.
The very first thing they said in the training is that the new office tower is designed in such a way - all glass offices and desks with no backs underneath - that it makes hiding from an active shooter very difficult.
Well.
***
We haven't had a return of the flooding incident in spite of the fact that it hasn't stopped raining, so I'm taking that to mean it is from the shower. I have been doing the water conservation thing where I turn off the water while I soap up, so that has probably helped. Hopefully on the weekend I have will have time to start disassembling things.
***
I went on a two-hour hike around High Park last night. It was pissing down rain the whole time, which meant a lot fewer people, which meant the beavers were hanging out. Also cormorants. I didn't even know cormorants live in Ontario. And I got to see the cherry blossoms without dodging 100,000+ people to do it.
Full wildlife count: beaver, cormorants, egrets, Canada geese (of course, those things are like cockroaches up here), mallards, wood ducks, swans, red-wing blackbirds, and a bunch of other birds I couldn't ID. (Maybe lake gulls? There were some that looked like seagulls but smaller and brown.)
Two hours was a perfect length for a first-time hike, I can feel the places in my feet that were starting to blister but didn't actually get any full-on blisters. I'm toying with the idea of buying proper hiking shoes if I'm going to do this on the regular - I normally wear bludstones and they are super comfortable, but I slid around a bit on the wet grass & mud. When you have shitty balance, good traction is your best friend.
***
My work just created a new training module called "active assailant training". So what to do if somebody shows up with a gun and starts shooting.
The very first thing they said in the training is that the new office tower is designed in such a way - all glass offices and desks with no backs underneath - that it makes hiding from an active shooter very difficult.
Well.
OK then.
( Questions of Days )
***
Heard from the contractor today. Apparently they had to ask the engineer modify the plans to use different materials or something? Anyway, he'll be back Wednesday to go over the changes with us so we can sign off on them and I'll find out the details then.
***
One of the advantages of working for a bank, I get a deal on buying shares, so I have been doing that and squirreling them away into my retirement savings. As a shareholder I get to vote on proposals that have been presented to the board of directors. The proposals are always things like "divest in oil companies" and "pay our taxes" and come with a recommendation from the board to vote against.
You can probably figure out which way I vote. I know it won't make any difference because the board has more shares than anybody else, but it might be a good temperature check for them if they pay attention to that kind of thing.
***
Gout is a fucking pain in the... well, the knee. It hurts like a motherfucker. Moving the joint is bad, because it causes more damage, but because I've been avoiding bending it for the past couple of days now the muscles all down that leg are cramped up and I'm dealing with some mild - but still annoying - sciatica as well. So fuck it. I'm walking to the gf's place this afternoon which will work out the muscle cramps and I'll just deal with the rest.
***
Heard from the contractor today. Apparently they had to ask the engineer modify the plans to use different materials or something? Anyway, he'll be back Wednesday to go over the changes with us so we can sign off on them and I'll find out the details then.
***
One of the advantages of working for a bank, I get a deal on buying shares, so I have been doing that and squirreling them away into my retirement savings. As a shareholder I get to vote on proposals that have been presented to the board of directors. The proposals are always things like "divest in oil companies" and "pay our taxes" and come with a recommendation from the board to vote against.
You can probably figure out which way I vote. I know it won't make any difference because the board has more shares than anybody else, but it might be a good temperature check for them if they pay attention to that kind of thing.
***
Gout is a fucking pain in the... well, the knee. It hurts like a motherfucker. Moving the joint is bad, because it causes more damage, but because I've been avoiding bending it for the past couple of days now the muscles all down that leg are cramped up and I'm dealing with some mild - but still annoying - sciatica as well. So fuck it. I'm walking to the gf's place this afternoon which will work out the muscle cramps and I'll just deal with the rest.
Dairy is supposed to be good for reducing purine levels, so I had extra yogourt this morning in my breakfast. And a quick internet search says Vitamin C is supposed to be good too, so I'll hunt around and see if we have any of that on hand.
***
Called the physio for the Old Man and left a message. Making a note here to remind me to follow up if I don't hear back from her.
I got him signed up on WheelTrans so I can get him back and forth to appointments without having to dump three figures on a taxi every time. I got some feedback from people who have needed their service that WheelTrans is kind of shit because you have to book a week ahead. "No problem," says I, "He has to make these appointments months in advance, so that's lots of time."
Only it turns out what people mean when they say a week in advance, is only a week in advance. So even though he has a specialist appointment in April, I can't book him on a trip until one week before the appointment. And if the time slot fills up, too bad.
So yeah, that's pretty crap.
In the summertime I might try just taking him on the streetcar since the new ones have access ramps. If people in this city can just stop stabbing each other for a hot minute.
13 – Clean Out Your Computer Day: When was the last time you cleaned out your fans and dusted off your motherboard? Have you looked at your graphics card to see if its cooling fan and fins are clean? For that matter, when did you last clean out or even opened the case? Or have you ever cleaned out your computer or had someone clean it out for you?
14 – Organ Donor Day: Are you signed up/registered to be an organ donor? Do you regularly or occasionally donate blood?
15 – World Hippo Day: How much do you know about hippos? Have you seen one outside a zoo?
16 – Innovation Day: Are you the creative sort who can easily come up with new innovations, or are you better at following-up with developing other people's ideas?
17 – My Way Day: the day where you are encouraged to do whatever you want, however you want. Have you ever treated yourself to a day like this? What did you do?
18 – Battery Day: How many things in your house are unusable without batteries? (If they don't run on mains power.)
19 – World Whale Day: Have you ever been whale watching? Tell us about it.
20 – Love Your Pet Day: Do you have pets? Tell us about them – cats, dogs, other species? How many?
Ugh, hosing out the computers was on my to-do list and no, I didn't do it. My house is absolute dustbowl, so maybe this weekend. I am signed up to be an organ donor but my organs are probably too old to be much use - I got a letter in January that said I had aged out of the stem cell donor registry. I know a normal amount about hippos and have only ever seen them in zoos. Probably better at following up other people's great ideas. My way day sounds like it's just "don't interact with other humans" day by a different name. I have no idea how many battery operated objects I have in my home and I would be entirely suspicious of the type of person who could just pull that info off the top of their head. I have never been whale-watching. I have a cat.
21 – International Mother Language Day: What is your native language? How many languages do you speak fluently or near-fluently? How many languages besides your native language have you studied?
I am distressingly mono-lingual. The cousins who grew up in Ireland all speak Irish, but since I grew up here I do not. I don't even speak French, because the French classes in Ontario schools in the 60s and 70s were fucking pathetic.
I tried German for a while, because the housemate speaks German, and I thought they might practice with me. They did not practice with me. And then I actually went to Germany and the people there all went, "Why would you waste your time learning German?" Um.
So now I'm trying Spanish. It is supposed to be one of the easier languages, and I logic that there are lots of Spanish-speaking places people can be from where they don't necessarily also speak English so it might actually be more useful. I've been plugging away at Duolingo, which means I am getting reasonably good at reading it, but speaking is still really difficult.
So the other day I posted on the FaceThing - "Hey anybody want to be on a discord channel to practice Spanish? - and I got a handful of yeses, so today I started a Discord channel for practising Spanish. We'll see how it goes.
Let me know if anybody wants to join.
***
I was talking to some friends the other day about watching old movies with my gf and one of my friends started talking about how great a movie Paws of Fury is - it's apparently Blazing Saddles remade for kids. So I told the gf about it. And it turns out, she had never seen Blazing Saddles. So we watched it together.
14 – Organ Donor Day: Are you signed up/registered to be an organ donor? Do you regularly or occasionally donate blood?
15 – World Hippo Day: How much do you know about hippos? Have you seen one outside a zoo?
16 – Innovation Day: Are you the creative sort who can easily come up with new innovations, or are you better at following-up with developing other people's ideas?
17 – My Way Day: the day where you are encouraged to do whatever you want, however you want. Have you ever treated yourself to a day like this? What did you do?
18 – Battery Day: How many things in your house are unusable without batteries? (If they don't run on mains power.)
19 – World Whale Day: Have you ever been whale watching? Tell us about it.
20 – Love Your Pet Day: Do you have pets? Tell us about them – cats, dogs, other species? How many?
Ugh, hosing out the computers was on my to-do list and no, I didn't do it. My house is absolute dustbowl, so maybe this weekend. I am signed up to be an organ donor but my organs are probably too old to be much use - I got a letter in January that said I had aged out of the stem cell donor registry. I know a normal amount about hippos and have only ever seen them in zoos. Probably better at following up other people's great ideas. My way day sounds like it's just "don't interact with other humans" day by a different name. I have no idea how many battery operated objects I have in my home and I would be entirely suspicious of the type of person who could just pull that info off the top of their head. I have never been whale-watching. I have a cat.
21 – International Mother Language Day: What is your native language? How many languages do you speak fluently or near-fluently? How many languages besides your native language have you studied?
I am distressingly mono-lingual. The cousins who grew up in Ireland all speak Irish, but since I grew up here I do not. I don't even speak French, because the French classes in Ontario schools in the 60s and 70s were fucking pathetic.
I tried German for a while, because the housemate speaks German, and I thought they might practice with me. They did not practice with me. And then I actually went to Germany and the people there all went, "Why would you waste your time learning German?" Um.
So now I'm trying Spanish. It is supposed to be one of the easier languages, and I logic that there are lots of Spanish-speaking places people can be from where they don't necessarily also speak English so it might actually be more useful. I've been plugging away at Duolingo, which means I am getting reasonably good at reading it, but speaking is still really difficult.
So the other day I posted on the FaceThing - "Hey anybody want to be on a discord channel to practice Spanish? - and I got a handful of yeses, so today I started a Discord channel for practising Spanish. We'll see how it goes.
Let me know if anybody wants to join.
***
I was talking to some friends the other day about watching old movies with my gf and one of my friends started talking about how great a movie Paws of Fury is - it's apparently Blazing Saddles remade for kids. So I told the gf about it. And it turns out, she had never seen Blazing Saddles. So we watched it together.
Friends.
It has not aged well.
At all.
***
Saw the Old Man on the weekend and he was absolutely fine. Probably as sharp as I've ever seen him in fact.
So either he's taking considerably longer to bounce back after hospital stays, or he was down from some bug. Seeing as I was levelled by a cold the week after, probably he had a cold and gave it to me.
Question of the Day: World Marriage Day
Feb. 23rd, 2023 08:31 pmBehind again. As was foretold.
11 – Make a Friend Day: How easy is it for you to make friends? Do you have many casual friends, or just one or two close friends?
I think I am reasonably good at making friends. Since the invention of the Internet it has gotten easier to find the local weirdos, and those are usually my people.
12 – World Marriage Day: In your opinion, is marriage an outdated institution or has it stood the test of time? Should we seek to preserve it, or might there be a better alternative for committed couples?
I have some - mixed feelings about it.
Same sex marriage is so important because hostile family used to swoop in and deny people access to their partners in the hospital. A bad breakup could mean never being able to see your children again. It's still out of reach to polyamourous[1] families.
But I do have issues with how the laws around married people treats the couple as a single entity. Social supports are out of reach if you are married because it's just assumed that somebody is supporting you. Marriage is still out of reach for people on disability incomes for exactly that reason, they lose their income and become entirely dependent.
I don't think it's the best system. Just maybe the best one we have right now. Anyway, I'm certainly never doing it again.
___
House-building progress has been delayed by weather. Mostly because our contractor lives in the snow belt and is currently too buried under the white shit to make it to Toronto.
You know, patience is really not my forte
___
Monday nights are date night with the gf. She took up cooking as a hobby over the pandemic and she is really good at it.[2] So we eat dinner and watch a movie or pick up a new TV show together. The last few weeks we decided to get me caught up on some movies that came out a while ago but that I had never watched.
So that's how I ended up watching Legally Blonde. BC described it by saying, "It's a good movie, but not a deep movie," and I think that's a pretty solid take. It was interesting because it took the trope of somebody who wealthy, pretty, and who is really into fashion and made her not shallow - she works hard, she's sharp, and she is nice to people who really don't have anything to offer her. And it's a movie that doesn't pit the women against each other, which was pretty freakin' rare. So yeah not deep, but still kind of fun.
[2] So good that she has started asking me if I didn't like it on the rare occasion where I can't fit a second helping.
11 – Make a Friend Day: How easy is it for you to make friends? Do you have many casual friends, or just one or two close friends?
I think I am reasonably good at making friends. Since the invention of the Internet it has gotten easier to find the local weirdos, and those are usually my people.
12 – World Marriage Day: In your opinion, is marriage an outdated institution or has it stood the test of time? Should we seek to preserve it, or might there be a better alternative for committed couples?
I have some - mixed feelings about it.
Same sex marriage is so important because hostile family used to swoop in and deny people access to their partners in the hospital. A bad breakup could mean never being able to see your children again. It's still out of reach to polyamourous[1] families.
But I do have issues with how the laws around married people treats the couple as a single entity. Social supports are out of reach if you are married because it's just assumed that somebody is supporting you. Marriage is still out of reach for people on disability incomes for exactly that reason, they lose their income and become entirely dependent.
I don't think it's the best system. Just maybe the best one we have right now. Anyway, I'm certainly never doing it again.
___
House-building progress has been delayed by weather. Mostly because our contractor lives in the snow belt and is currently too buried under the white shit to make it to Toronto.
You know, patience is really not my forte
___
Monday nights are date night with the gf. She took up cooking as a hobby over the pandemic and she is really good at it.[2] So we eat dinner and watch a movie or pick up a new TV show together. The last few weeks we decided to get me caught up on some movies that came out a while ago but that I had never watched.
So that's how I ended up watching Legally Blonde. BC described it by saying, "It's a good movie, but not a deep movie," and I think that's a pretty solid take. It was interesting because it took the trope of somebody who wealthy, pretty, and who is really into fashion and made her not shallow - she works hard, she's sharp, and she is nice to people who really don't have anything to offer her. And it's a movie that doesn't pit the women against each other, which was pretty freakin' rare. So yeah not deep, but still kind of fun.
And then we watched Hackers. Oh my God. All those famous actors as wee babies on the screen. And I was completely delighted by the hacking itself. It was absolutely dumb and entirely entertaining and funny as shit. (And now I secretly want to see every single movie Matthew Lillard has ever been in, because watching him chew through the scenery was just so entertaining.)
BC talked me into watching Master and Commander, which is not so old but which I had skipped because it's not really a genre I'm into. And it was SO WELL DONE, holy shit. I spent the entire thing being absolutely horrified by the entirely historically accurate portrayal of LITERAL FUCKING CHILDREN working as soldiers on a ship and getting shot to bits in the process. Honestly, a battle at sea has been solidly confirmed as right up near the top on my Ways I Would Really Prefer Not To Die Thank You list.
There were also some Disney movies in the mix, but none of them really grabbed me. Every time I see an animated movie now, I'm all, "Well it was OK, but it was no Megamind."
___
[2] So good that she has started asking me if I didn't like it on the rare occasion where I can't fit a second helping.
Question of the Day: Shop For Travel
Jan. 28th, 2023 01:22 pm9 – Coming of Age Day: What does coming of age mean to you? What, if any, coming of age ceremonies or rituals are practiced where you live?
Is it weird that I don't know how to answer this? Catholics have coming of age ceremonies, but I noped out of Catholicism when I got to the "girls can't be Pope" revelation and never really went back.
Various pagan circles I've run in have their own version of this but I didn't really participate in those either. Honestly they all seem kind of arbitrary to me.
10 – Shop for Travel Day: First celebrated in 2018, Shop for Travel Day has continued annually on the second Tuesday of the year ever since. The reason for it being situated at this time on the calendar has to do with the fact that, in many cases, the early weeks of January are an especially advantageous time to shop for travel due to many companies offering special deals and discounts. When was the last time you travelled within your own country? How about outside of your own country? If money (and time) were no object, where would you love to travel to?
Last trip in-country was Montreal in November, last trip outside was Switzerland in March. I'm much more wary of travelling now that they've removed vaccine and testing requirements and masking for travel.
My sister is currently in Greece, and I'd love to visit while she's there, but that's going to depend on both money and how safe it feels to travel.
And if I do travel, I'm gong to need a new suitcase, because Air France mangled mine.
***
Got the heating & electric bills for January and hoooo boy. Having a) no back wall and b) the pumps running 24/7 and the spot-heaters blasting while they work means travel is probably not happening any time real soon.
Also food bills. I'm hoping I'll be able to get some plants in the ground this summer, but that will depend on how fast work progresses since my beds are currently buried under piles of mud and concrete shards. The contractors were onsite yesterday thumping and banging around. (And swearing. Lots of swearing.) So I guess work is progressing? I stuck my head outside while I was doing the laundry and they have this tent set-up going on, I guess to try and minimize the amount of snow and melt water they have to deal with.
The shout around the clock strategy appeared to be what was needed to shake something loose. Bill is now sorted. (In theory. I don't entirely trust the company not to screw it up again, but the having-a-conversation part of fixing it has finally happened.)
***
House stuff continues. A truck showed up at our door and dropped five pallets of cinder blocks and bags of cement onto the sidewalk. Pallets and bags are now gone and we have two basement walls instead.
***
House stuff continues. A truck showed up at our door and dropped five pallets of cinder blocks and bags of cement onto the sidewalk. Pallets and bags are now gone and we have two basement walls instead.
Question of the Day: Global Family Day: How do you define family?
There is a Robert Frost poem. "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." That's pretty much how I define family - the people who are stuck with you. If you play your cards right and get lucky, that can be by choice.
***
No shit.
I mean, I used to have had some... pretty pronounced self-destructive tendencies for a large chunk of my life. I am genuinely astonished to still be here. (Albeit with some of the long-term health repercussions of those tendencies. Nobody gets away with that many head injuries completely scott-free.)
Huh. Sixty. How about that.
***
The holidays were good, although I ended up letting myself be pushed way past my normal comfort zone around being exposed to a bunch of strangers. (How's that for not being twenty any more.) This year I have promised myself I will do more outside stuff in the summer with my family, it will mean I can more easily say no to high-risk activities in the indoor months.
***
Pretty sure this is going to be an eventful year in the Gin Palace. Money is going to be a problem. We'll see if I'm still living here at the end of 2023.
***
For the fanfic writers, Martha Wells has posted about a company that is scraping fanfic sites and selling the stolen stories on Amazon.
https://marthawells.dreamwidth.org/601475.html)
There is a Robert Frost poem. "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." That's pretty much how I define family - the people who are stuck with you. If you play your cards right and get lucky, that can be by choice.
***
I spent yesterday doing chores, then had a glass of wine at midnight and watched the fireworks going off outside from my window. Today I am doing some prep cooking and playing video games.
Tomorrow I will turn 60. Six. Zero.No shit.
I mean, I used to have had some... pretty pronounced self-destructive tendencies for a large chunk of my life. I am genuinely astonished to still be here. (Albeit with some of the long-term health repercussions of those tendencies. Nobody gets away with that many head injuries completely scott-free.)
Huh. Sixty. How about that.
***
The holidays were good, although I ended up letting myself be pushed way past my normal comfort zone around being exposed to a bunch of strangers. (How's that for not being twenty any more.) This year I have promised myself I will do more outside stuff in the summer with my family, it will mean I can more easily say no to high-risk activities in the indoor months.
***
Pretty sure this is going to be an eventful year in the Gin Palace. Money is going to be a problem. We'll see if I'm still living here at the end of 2023.
***
For the fanfic writers, Martha Wells has posted about a company that is scraping fanfic sites and selling the stolen stories on Amazon.
https://marthawells.dreamwidth.org/601475.html)
to do list
Dec. 13th, 2022 11:12 amOff work today, so I can get caught up on some things.
( cut for boring )
Oh FFS. Something froze out back and all our water went gushing into the newly poured basement foundations. The contractors are right now figuring out where to put a hole in the wall to cut it off, but in the meantime we have to keep the water to the entire house shut off.
It could have been a lot worse - if I hadn't taken the day off it would normally be my in-office day, and it would have been much much later before catching on that there is a problem.
( cut for boring )
Oh FFS. Something froze out back and all our water went gushing into the newly poured basement foundations. The contractors are right now figuring out where to put a hole in the wall to cut it off, but in the meantime we have to keep the water to the entire house shut off.
It could have been a lot worse - if I hadn't taken the day off it would normally be my in-office day, and it would have been much much later before catching on that there is a problem.
(no subject)
Dec. 3rd, 2022 11:27 pmOld Man's new bed has been purchased and installed. The bed frame is old enough that we couldn't find a manual online, so we'll have to reach out to the manufacturer. We figured it out - the person we bought it off helped us out enormously - but I would still like to have an instruction manual handy in case of future issues. I will say, those things are built to be solid.
I told approximately 28 people we were "swapping out the beds" but I guess because I didn't directly tell the manager and I didn't do it in writing, that means the residence "didn't know" and they turned away the company that owns the old bed when they showed up to pick it up. I had very much hoped that I wouldn't have to deal with moving the fucking thing because it is heavy and the frame is all sharp metal edges. Whatever. Very much my own fault, but between juggling the timing of bed, bank, xmas dinner, flu shots and everything else, i dropped that detail. I will sort it out Monday.
Honestly I'm dropping a lot these days. I have too many things to keep track of and I am legit failing to keep it all organized. I need to take a day off and just sit down and go through the pile of paper on my desk and sort through my emails and create a checklist. And then hope nothing pukes all over it.
***
<INSERT RANT>
SPEAKING of puke.
I am in an ongoing campaign to try and keep the cats off the fucking dining room table. I am losing this campaign. I make jokes that it's because I want to some day eat a meal that doesn't have a cat hair in it, but I kid, I know I will never in my life ever again eat a meal that doesn't have a cat hair in it.
The real problem is that we are wedged into a very small space and the table is the one and only place with the space to spread out things like bills and plans and anything else that is being sorted / looked at / organized. And if I turn my back on it for five trucking minutes the cat pukes on it. (Seriously. This cat is puking all the fucking time.)
I'm sure this shit is just as stressful for them as it is for us. The obvious solution is not to leave things on the table, but honestly... we have no space to put anything. I have boxes balanced on chairs balanced on tote boxes and I try to put things on top of other things to keep them out of the way.
But today I spread some shit out on the table to sort out what can be ebayed and what is going to be freecycled and in the time it took me to move laundry from washing machine to dryer, the cat threw up all over it.
<END RANT>
***
Having contractors in our house is so weird. Having random voices floating up from the basement or the back window is weird. Walking downstairs and seeing oh hey, this moved since the last time I was down here. Wonder what that massive electrical cable is attached to. Is weird.
I did laundry today. We have a table set up next to the machines and whenever I do laundry I wash down the table first so I can fold the clean clothes on it. I did that today, and then an hour later after the first load was done I dragged my finger across it and I came back covered in grit.
Apparently we had a footing inspection yesterday and it went well. The concrete for the foundation will be poured on Wednesday.
I told approximately 28 people we were "swapping out the beds" but I guess because I didn't directly tell the manager and I didn't do it in writing, that means the residence "didn't know" and they turned away the company that owns the old bed when they showed up to pick it up. I had very much hoped that I wouldn't have to deal with moving the fucking thing because it is heavy and the frame is all sharp metal edges. Whatever. Very much my own fault, but between juggling the timing of bed, bank, xmas dinner, flu shots and everything else, i dropped that detail. I will sort it out Monday.
Honestly I'm dropping a lot these days. I have too many things to keep track of and I am legit failing to keep it all organized. I need to take a day off and just sit down and go through the pile of paper on my desk and sort through my emails and create a checklist. And then hope nothing pukes all over it.
***
<INSERT RANT>
SPEAKING of puke.
I am in an ongoing campaign to try and keep the cats off the fucking dining room table. I am losing this campaign. I make jokes that it's because I want to some day eat a meal that doesn't have a cat hair in it, but I kid, I know I will never in my life ever again eat a meal that doesn't have a cat hair in it.
The real problem is that we are wedged into a very small space and the table is the one and only place with the space to spread out things like bills and plans and anything else that is being sorted / looked at / organized. And if I turn my back on it for five trucking minutes the cat pukes on it. (Seriously. This cat is puking all the fucking time.)
I'm sure this shit is just as stressful for them as it is for us. The obvious solution is not to leave things on the table, but honestly... we have no space to put anything. I have boxes balanced on chairs balanced on tote boxes and I try to put things on top of other things to keep them out of the way.
But today I spread some shit out on the table to sort out what can be ebayed and what is going to be freecycled and in the time it took me to move laundry from washing machine to dryer, the cat threw up all over it.
<END RANT>
***
Having contractors in our house is so weird. Having random voices floating up from the basement or the back window is weird. Walking downstairs and seeing oh hey, this moved since the last time I was down here. Wonder what that massive electrical cable is attached to. Is weird.
I did laundry today. We have a table set up next to the machines and whenever I do laundry I wash down the table first so I can fold the clean clothes on it. I did that today, and then an hour later after the first load was done I dragged my finger across it and I came back covered in grit.
Apparently we had a footing inspection yesterday and it went well. The concrete for the foundation will be poured on Wednesday.
Back in Toronto, and my house is freezing.
In theory the digging will be finished this week, and then the main crew will be back to start pouring the basement floor. They are also going to cover the back wall as much as possible and cap off the HVAC that is currently open to the backyard and then we'll be able to turn the furnace on. Until then I bundle up as much as I can but since I'm spending my entire day sitting at a computer and not really moving around much, by mid-afternoon my hands are blocks of ice.
Montreal was just as relaxing as I had hoped. I find I have to get out of town if I really want to spend my vacation not working on something - I've set myself up with a lot of tools to keep myself organized and when I don't have those to hand I tend to go, "welp, guess this will just have to wait until I get home." I even turned off my alarm clock and caught up on my sleep.
I don't usually do touristy stuff but this time around I went to the Biodome and the Insectarium. Both were pretty cool. The insectarium is tiny, but we agreed that watching the leaf cutter ants basically dismantle a tree was worth the price of admission.
The train continues to be more comfortable than flying even if it takes longer. Masking is obviously a problem, I counted a total of seven masks other than mine and almost all of them on older people.
I have one more week of vacation I have to use up before the end of the year. I plan to take a week in November and I will spend it catching up on my to-do list. The week off was good for me, but I need to not spend any more money until the kitchen is paid for so I won't be travelling again any time soon.
In theory the digging will be finished this week, and then the main crew will be back to start pouring the basement floor. They are also going to cover the back wall as much as possible and cap off the HVAC that is currently open to the backyard and then we'll be able to turn the furnace on. Until then I bundle up as much as I can but since I'm spending my entire day sitting at a computer and not really moving around much, by mid-afternoon my hands are blocks of ice.
Montreal was just as relaxing as I had hoped. I find I have to get out of town if I really want to spend my vacation not working on something - I've set myself up with a lot of tools to keep myself organized and when I don't have those to hand I tend to go, "welp, guess this will just have to wait until I get home." I even turned off my alarm clock and caught up on my sleep.
I don't usually do touristy stuff but this time around I went to the Biodome and the Insectarium. Both were pretty cool. The insectarium is tiny, but we agreed that watching the leaf cutter ants basically dismantle a tree was worth the price of admission.
The train continues to be more comfortable than flying even if it takes longer. Masking is obviously a problem, I counted a total of seven masks other than mine and almost all of them on older people.
I have one more week of vacation I have to use up before the end of the year. I plan to take a week in November and I will spend it catching up on my to-do list. The week off was good for me, but I need to not spend any more money until the kitchen is paid for so I won't be travelling again any time soon.
your ass is next in line
Jul. 24th, 2022 12:20 pmI continue to worry about the Old Man. He hasn't been leaving his room for meals and because he's not moving around he's losing what little mobility he gained from rehab. I took him to an appointment on Monday and I was shocked at how weak he was.
He gets help through the home support program with things like showering and dressing, so I've reached out to them about bumping his hours and also to ask what supports they have for physio and mental health. They are overworked and understaffed of course, but I'll see what they say. He could afford to pay out of pocket, if I can get him to admit there is even a problem.
Realistically, I think he's just given up.
***
On the house front: the shouting I mentioned in my last post has yielded positive results as the committee got back to me right away and our hearing for the variance has been set for August 17. That's a fuck sight better than the six-month turn-around we were originally quoted. The contractors have been in, mostly to rip up the floor and drop off their building materials.
I may have a functional kitchen by the end of the year. Meanwhile I've been carting stuff to BC's apartment and using her oven whenever I need to restock the freezer with ready-meals.
The cats get locked upstairs every time the contractors come over until the work is safely done for the day. Dr River Song is convinced that the upstairs is the Best Place In The World when they aren't allowed up here but it is the Absolute Worst the second the door gets closed behind her. Lord Brock mostly just climbs onto the weight bench next to my office chair and falls asleep.
They normally aren't allowed upstairs because they can't be trusted unsupervised - not only are they both super destructive, but this is where I stash all my poisonous plants. Construction hours mostly overlap my work hours however, so they can hang out there while I remote.
***
Next on the to-do list, get the divorced finalized and get my finances sorted. The first is just a matter of going into City Hall and filing the paperwork. (We hope.) The second will be actual work. I track every penny that goes through the household account, but I have no idea where my own money is at and I'm sure there are insurance claims and reimbursements that need to be submitted. I really need to cobble a budget together too, especially if we end up needing to go into credit to get this fucking kitchen finished.
Last year in September I rented a cottage for a week with friends just to get out of the city for a bit and I would love to do that again if I can swing it. I'm going to use that as an incentive to get my money in order, if I can set enough aside for even a weekend out of here.
***
Recent thing I have been mulling over, how framing a project that "we" should start as a way to solve a problem or improve a process has so frequently been the precursor to dumping responsibility entirely in my lap. Haven't really teased out much more than that yet, but it has definitely been a pattern.
He gets help through the home support program with things like showering and dressing, so I've reached out to them about bumping his hours and also to ask what supports they have for physio and mental health. They are overworked and understaffed of course, but I'll see what they say. He could afford to pay out of pocket, if I can get him to admit there is even a problem.
Realistically, I think he's just given up.
***
On the house front: the shouting I mentioned in my last post has yielded positive results as the committee got back to me right away and our hearing for the variance has been set for August 17. That's a fuck sight better than the six-month turn-around we were originally quoted. The contractors have been in, mostly to rip up the floor and drop off their building materials.
I may have a functional kitchen by the end of the year. Meanwhile I've been carting stuff to BC's apartment and using her oven whenever I need to restock the freezer with ready-meals.
The cats get locked upstairs every time the contractors come over until the work is safely done for the day. Dr River Song is convinced that the upstairs is the Best Place In The World when they aren't allowed up here but it is the Absolute Worst the second the door gets closed behind her. Lord Brock mostly just climbs onto the weight bench next to my office chair and falls asleep.
They normally aren't allowed upstairs because they can't be trusted unsupervised - not only are they both super destructive, but this is where I stash all my poisonous plants. Construction hours mostly overlap my work hours however, so they can hang out there while I remote.
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Next on the to-do list, get the divorced finalized and get my finances sorted. The first is just a matter of going into City Hall and filing the paperwork. (We hope.) The second will be actual work. I track every penny that goes through the household account, but I have no idea where my own money is at and I'm sure there are insurance claims and reimbursements that need to be submitted. I really need to cobble a budget together too, especially if we end up needing to go into credit to get this fucking kitchen finished.
Last year in September I rented a cottage for a week with friends just to get out of the city for a bit and I would love to do that again if I can swing it. I'm going to use that as an incentive to get my money in order, if I can set enough aside for even a weekend out of here.
***
Recent thing I have been mulling over, how framing a project that "we" should start as a way to solve a problem or improve a process has so frequently been the precursor to dumping responsibility entirely in my lap. Haven't really teased out much more than that yet, but it has definitely been a pattern.
