It's going to be a long weekend.

 

I'm very glad that RQS will be with me this weekend.  However, am still not feeling that well, and I would rather retreat into a cozy bed and be left alone until I'm ready to emerge from my cocoon.

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We just changed management firms at my complex, and I have yet to set up online payments via their portal.  This morning, I was awakened by one of their staff calling me in response to an email I sent about an inability to use their portal.  Sadly, nothing much was accomplished, as they have problems on their send regarding account setup.  Since this is not a major issue, I will not worry about it.

The real thing that bothered me about today was that my cold is still around after a week of dealing with its symptoms.  I still need cough syrup to make things more bearable, and to be able to rest for a while.  I still need to take aspirin or acetaminophen to deal with my achy joints, and I still feel like I'm running at no more than 75% or my normal self.

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Right now, I have cleaned up some stuff in my bedroom, putting things into an empty drawer, as well as filling up another donation to be taken to the drop off point.  There are still too many articles of clothing in my closets, drawers, and storage containers for my own good. Yet, I figure that each bag I donate is equivalent to at least one or two storage containers holding clothing I no longer wear.

When RQS gets here, we will be doing a lot of running around.  RQS has to replace a couple of items which have been recalled, as well as pick up some clothes waiting for her at Lane Bryant.

Dentist, n. A prestidigitator who, putting metal into your mouth, pulls coins out of your pocket.

 

For those not familiar with Ambrose Bierce, he was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book The Devil's Dictionary was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration.  Sadly, his memory is largely lost to most people's memories, as the world never likes to remember the cynics who describe our world so well. But why did I use one of Bierce's quotes for the title of this entry?  The answer is simple.  I went to the dentist today, and my wallet is much lighter because of it.

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Earlier in the week, I had tentatively arranged lunch with Vicki for today.  However, I was feeling so tired, that I wouldn't have had the energy to meet with her, go to the dentist, do some shopping, and then go to game night.  Luckily, neither of us connected with each other on time, and lunch was rescheduled for next week.

This meant that I would have a bit more time to sleep.  Even though the dental hygienist called me at 10 am, suggesting I switch my appointment to 11 am, I said "no" and took advantage of the extra 2 hours of needed sleep.  Around 1 pm, I got showered, dressed, and made up, and was at the dentist by 2 pm.  An hour later, I left the office $300 lighter. (I'm not complaining.  He does great work, and is worth every cent I pay for services.)

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In my texting with Vicki, she made one assumption that is false - I go to the dentist in Mario mode.  I haven't done so in a while.  Eventually, when my current GP retires, I may look for a new doctor who I can visit in Marian mode, taking one less place off the list of places I must visit as Mario.  It'd be nice to be able to dispose of most of my male clothing....

Celino v. Barnes

 

I've been trying to find the time to see this piece of fluff for a while.  And for the price I paid, it was worth every cent.  If you lived in my area of the world 25 years ago, you'd hear and see their ads all over the place.  Their jingle was easy to remember, said what the firm was all about, and how to contact the firm:

Celino aand Barnes
Injury Attorneys
800-888-8888

It was a short jingle with lots of ads imprinting the Celino and Barnes firm into your memory.  The play is a send up of the origins of the firm and how it self destructed. And if you can get there between the time you see this post and January 26th, do so!

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I wasn't sure if I was well enough to go into NYC for the play.  First, it was cold outside, and I still felt a bit weak from the cold I'm recovering from.  Yet, I first had lunch with my friend from the census, and then went back home to order my tickets from the Theater Development Fund (tdf.org).  Although I bought the cheapest tickets I could get, there some tickets that listed in the 3-digit range.  There was no way I was going to spend that amount of money on an Off-Broadway play.  If I have to, I'll sit in the cheap seats, and strain my eyes a little.

Given that the day was bitter cold, I dressed in a sweater dress, with both tights and a slip underneath.  I was cozy (for the most part) during the short times I was outside, but I knew I'd be warm during any time spent indoors..

Around 4:30 pm, I drove to the Croton-Harmon train station, and started to regret my decision - my legs were achy, the bitter wind was at my face, and I wasn't sure if I'd get a close spot in the parking lot.  My worries about parking were for naught - I had a spot close to the parking meter, and had 20 minutes to spare before the train came.  (And this included a prior stop at the gas station to fill up the gas tank.) 

The trip into NYC was uneventful, as well as my trip from Grand Central to the theater.  Once I picked up my ticket, I went to Starbucks for a bite to eat before returning to the theater.  And this is where buying the cheap seats paid off.  Theater staff were placing all ticket holders as close to the stage as possible.  If I had gotten there earlier, I could have had a front row seat.  But I didn't need one to see everything - there was only one row in front of me, and I had a good view for the show.

Celino v. Barnes must not be taken seriously.  The two actors in the title roles are way over the top, as well as the script.  And that's what makes what could be a dry and boring tale into something enjoyable. The authors of the play have distorted the real story about these two men into something that can be best described as parody.  Hopefully, this play will be staged again in a larger venue.

Going home was much easier for me.  I was no longer achy.  Yet, I still had my lingering cough.  I was able to catch the non-stop from NYC to Croton, and was home in 48 minutes (excluding the drive from the train station to my apartment).  On the whole, it was a good day, and well worth my initial discomfort. 

Sanity in a world gone nuts

 

In the past, I'd wonder if I was crazy, given how many people disagreed with me about how I interpreted things.  Today, I know that the world around me has gone crazy, and I am one of the few sane people left.

As I write this, our 47th president elect is making some crazy statements in a press conference.  The two things that stuck out most is that it cost (in today's dollars) $1,000,000,000,000 to build the Panama Canal, and 38,000 lives were lost building it.  I did a fact check while he was speaking and found that it cost $385,000,000 ($12,000,000,000 in today's dollars) and only 5,800 lives were lost during its construction.  He's up to the same old tricks, and the press is not fact checking him when it needs to do just that - even if it's only on the Chryon at the bottom of the TV screen.

We are about to enter an age where facts don't matter, and that frightens me.  Global Warming, Water Shortages, and other "Green Issues" are real.  Yet, the clown about to take office says that everything his opposition supports is bullshit.  Even though I say we're not yet ready to convert to purely electric powered vehicles, I believe that we need to develop an electric transportation economy as quickly as possible.  Given that electric vehicles are not practical in our colder climates during their winters, hybrid vehicles would be a good compromise to help reduce emissions.  Yet, "Clown #47" keeps claiming that we can burn "Clean Coal".  If you believe him, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

"Clown #47" says that we should take back control of the Panama Canal, force Denmark to sell us Greenland, and make Canada our 51st state.  A Canadian MP suggested that our West Coast and the Northeast US should sever our ties with the US and become Canadian provinces.  Given a choice between what the clown wants and what the MP wants, I'll go with the MP.  She made much more sense in her speech.

Our clown likes to make outlandish statements to distract us from the evil he plans to do.  Given the lunacy inherent in his recent speeches, I wonder what he really has up his sleeve....

I still wasn't feeling up to par today.

 

I decided not to go to a meetup today, as I was still feeling a little bit under the weather.  The soreness at the back of my throat has eased off, and I don't ache as much as I did yesterday.  Part of me wants to break open a bottle of Amaretto, mix it in some Hot Chocolate and relax.  Yet, this is not the time to have a drink, unless it's hot tea.

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When I got up this morning, I saw a dusting of snow on the ground. Given that places further South of me would likely have more snow on the ground, I decided NOT to go to Ikea today for the nightstand I wanted to put together.  Instead, I stayed in bed, in my jammies, covered by a warm blanket, trying to stay comfortable.  And for the most part, I was successful.

Occasionally, I would check my email to see what was going on, and noticed that I had a delivery both from my online pharmacy and from Woot.com.  So I went downstairs to pick up my packages, and found what could be the precursor of a big bill in my mailbox.  AARGH!

Coming back upstairs, I opened the box from Amazon and found the dish drying rack I had ordered.  Hopefully, this rack will prove more convenient to use than the old rack. After putting the new rack in place, I made some pasta for dinner, and then got back in my jammies to rest as comfortably as possible.  

What I didn't mention is that I received a call from an acquaintance - which I didn't pick up.  I was not in the mood to talk with anyone today, as I would be focusing more on my aches and pains than the conversation at hand.  Hopefully, I'll be in the mood to call her later on in the week.

And now, the "Fun" begins.

 

This is one of my rare entries (other than holiday posts) that comes out on the day something actually happens.  Today, we are about to enter 4 years of darkness caused by the selfish nature of a man who is about to take office.  He complains about flags flying at half staff to honor the late Jimmy Carter.  Yet, I think that Carter might have chosen to die when he did, so that he could show his contempt for the man about to take office.

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I am not concerned about the rich trying to extract more wealth from society.  They always have done that and always will do so.  Instead, I am concerned about a man-child whose sole interest is the destruction of our society in exchange for ill gotten gains from his benefactors.  Even that may not be the worst of things, as he has an ax (with many of his supporters) to grind against Transgender Americans.

My brother is well on his way to getting his second passport.  As soon as his passport is issued, I will submit the same paperwork as he did - just to have a place to go if the powers that support the new president aren't checked.  We already have seen the rules of the House of Representatives changed to prevent Sarah McBride from going to the women's loo.  I fear what could happen if America stumbles into being a Christianist Autocracy.  Could we have pogroms?  Who knows?

Right now, I am not going to worry.  But I will stay aware of things going on around me.  If we're lucky, we will get through this period of chaos with few lasting injuries.

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On other matters much less depressing....

Yesterday, I dropped RQS off at the station, so she could go home and take care of things that have piled up since before the holidays. After that, I decided to go out for a slice of pizza and met one of my neighbors.  There was something wrong with her, as she noted that she had some sort of brain injury about a year ago.  Yet, she couldn't understand why the co-op had to dismiss our former managing agent.  (She said she has memories, but couldn't connect them together to understand what has gone on.  Every minute or two, she kept apologizing for her inability to put things together due to this brain injury.)  As much as I didn't want to keep with the conversation, I did so because she needed to chat.  Luckily, I was able to get out of the conversation and go home for the rest of the day.

Now that I have my chest, it's time for a nightstand.

 

Having taking the better part of 8 hours to assemble a chest, you'd think I was b--s--t crazy to order a nightstand and go through this again.  However, I want something big enough to hold a lamp, my CPAP machine, and CPAP equipment cleaner.  This means that I will again go the DIY route, so that I can have something that goes along with the furniture in my bedroom.

Putting this nightstand next to my bed will force me to retire some of the furniture I inherited from my late wife.  Unlike the chest I threw away last weekend, the nightstand I currently use is solid - as it was made by my late wife's dad.  Too bad that I can't ask someone to refinish two chests I own, as I hate the idea of retiring solid furniture.

One of these days, I plan to get rid of a 30+ year old computer desk, as it no longer serves my needs.  Will I go cheap and buy something from Ikea?  Or, will I buy something solid and pay the price for it?  Either way, I have time to think.

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The way I see things, I'm getting back to what I started 15 years ago - refurnishing my apartment in a style that pleases me.  None of my relatives would be interested in any of the furniture I own, so why buy anything that would be considered an heirloom?  I already have the emotional problem of disposing of 80+ year old china, as well as some crystal cut glassware that is older than that.

Given that I'm getting close to 70, I don't think that anything of heirloom quality makes sense for me to own.  My niece lives in a small flat in London, and my nephew lives in a small flat in Seattle.  Neither would have any use for the furniture in my place.  Yet, if they want it in a few years, they can have it.

Right now, I'm getting ready to sell my vinyl collection.  I'll be lucky if I get $1.00/album.  But it will mean that I have more space in my storage compartment that I can use to keep the things I want to keep around.Once this is done, I can think of getting rid of my entertainment center and have more room in my apartment.  The way things are, the more space I can free up in my place, the more I can do with the things I have left in it.