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Showing posts from December, 2022

Earworm Ra Ra Rasputin that you have to click on.

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Almost 6 hours of sleep. Not as much end of yeary cleanup as I hoped. Too busy attempting social obligations and thinking about how to weave threads of the earworm of the week into modern reflections and being grateful for yesterday's procrastination party. Here is another earworm iteration, though the internet also abounds with flash mobs and Zumba classes and performaces than hack off a crucial last bit. Boney M Raspuutin Lyrics   The cat, today especially inclined to collect cuddles

Dry leaves and ZUMBA? Rasputín - Coreografía (Fran-Fergó)

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almost 6 hours of sleep. The dry leaves are because this time of year any leaves on the ground after proper rain should just be slime. And they are still dry enough to be heard blowing around.  And I will try not to catastrophize about melting ice caps and receding glaciers and drowning polar bears and whether or not trees and animals can adapt. Instead I will grab a song about a long ago revolutionary upheaval to distract myself from...Nobody seems to cover it but there are plenty of videos involving dancing or marching military formations. So here, grab some zumba

More restful than last night: Yo Yo Ma Plays Dvořák’s Cello Concerto

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5 ish hours of sleep. I am a grownup.  I HAD to get out invitations to my holiday procrastination party. Then I made the grownup decision to watch 3 videos about Russia, Ukraine and economic issues by people from Russia and the former SU and THEN to start an hour-long  video about a Stanford professor's theory about why Putin invaded Ukraine: Putin is afraid of democracy and there have been too many democratic uprisings over his terms in office. Nice theory. Good argument. And that's not all of it.  I also made the grownup decision to look at Twitter, at the Twitter ID I specifically cultivate to receive such content, just about the time Russia launched this morning's missile and drone barrage. Estimates were all over the map about what percentage were intercepted by Ukrainian air defense. I think it's entirely reasonable to pray that the invader's missiles malfunction or go astray and land in places they can do not harm.  Assorted other "it's worthwhile to

Red and white straw Christmas creature

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           Almost SEVEN hours of sleep And a bunch of bills paid before bed. Adulting is just grand. What does one do with a present that perhaps is supposed to be a reindeer

Y'all need Jesus Let's talk about dropping people in DC

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I think it was about 5 hours of sleep but I may have hit almost 6 I am glad it is still warm enough to open lots of windows. My schedule is all messed up by rearranged meetings. So much for chores. One of my favorite excuses to spend too much time on YouTube and one of about a zillion vids talking about how a certain governor really should read more of the Bible and ior encourage politicians to vote for orderly process to move people on....

Happy Monday

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With thanks again for the heroic Christmas plant I THINK 6 hours of sleep. I WILL check the device that I still can't bluetooth to. And if I am going to have to provide accessibility consulting about several steps in the upgrade process gosh dang it I want someone to PAY ME.. Still basking in glow of yesterday. Also basking not right word for thinking about a couple topics that came up. My one friend is not seeing things like fallen branches in their yard and oh, my, it probably has to do with more vision loss due to glaucoma. PS. This is WAY too much drama. I left my apartment about12:30. I got ready to come back around 5. The elevators were locked on the entry level floor which means the fire department was in the building. Thank you I guess grapevine for telling me the fire was in the apartment below me. I finally decide just to walk the stairs which I absolutely should do more often just to maintain girlish figure or at least better endurance. Of course my floor and apartment r

Sleep more Youtube less

Well over 6 hours of sleep. woot. Also just too tired to do more. My kitchen smells like cranberry bread. My heart is full. Between my grandfather and candles and my friends who share my opinion of croutons, DON'T Bother, only in stronger terms, it has been a full day. See if I can knock off the Youtube and just SLEEP

And poof it was gone!

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The christmas lights rearranged Not quite six hours of sleep. A text exchange inspiration about how to handle tomorrow. Some oh poor me moaning from my sister who still has COVID so she is to be forgiven. Sheets of ice already melting last night. By midday rain, Rain, RAIN. by mid afternoon rain and ice all gone. Wind. Way warmer temps. I got done all the chores I needed except baking the thing I promised, got hair washed, put on yellow hi vis raincoat. I checked the weather forecast: not likely to freeze so I can fret less about possibility of becoming one of the fall risk statistics. I set out for Christmas eve church at my sister's church. A couple loud drunk women were having a rough time of it on the bus. A couple nasty tree wells to not fall into in last block. Everyone glad to be in person. Masking uneven. Kids being kids mostly joyful.. On the way home I skipped the nasty tree wells and for various troubles eventually landed a bus buddy who needed to go on about "Jeff

Oh look. More Christmas pigeons

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  Cat on alert! somewhere 5 ish hours of sleep. Bless your heart cat.  Probably breakfast could have waited. Yesterday's cooking is just as good today. And freezing rain sounds like a drag.

The Christmas plant.

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Christmas levity with thanks to the bot of plants  serving as living tree Somewhere OVER 6 hours of sleep.  The appointment that was supposed to happen at 11 happened at 5:25 and tomorrow's version will happen at 3 or later. Maybe I will sleep even longer. Other  than that, in anticipation of power outages I spent time tonight turning ingredients into food, the first batch of lentil brownies in several months and clean out the fridge chicken rice vegetable soup that can be eaten cold if necessary and none of the other cold dining options appeal.. The weather report alleges it is snowing but when I just had a short invigorating walk, the sound was plop plop. So much for a soothing blanket.

No I'm not done with the Hunga Tonga volcano Tonga Tsunami Hits Newport Beach, CA January 15, 2022

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5 hours of sleep or almost. I am completely in danger of losing my MT cold weather cred. The sun looks wonderful. And the thought of slick and freezing after the sun sets and trouble getting home if bus runs or whole routes get cancelled for the night does not even tempt me to go out. Not quite sure why I feel more tired than average. But somehow the tsunami video is lovely and relaxing.   Happy Wednesday  

Oh look. It's a pigeon convention. Good thing the cat was asleep

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About 5 hours of sleep.  Still on the to-do list: figure out the bluetooth / recall connection. Manana? Also take out the trash, but the cat litter got changed and the plants got watered. Quaker writing group is so lovely even if this time all i wound up doing is working on a reasonable accommodations request and a request for data about people with disabilities. I'm HERE in this meeting and reasonable accommodations requests come with the package. So festive. Pigeons on a snowy window ledge

A soothing video about how to GROW OKRA!

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Almost 6 hours of sleep checked with the CPAP. There is still some blue-tooth disconnect that I want to try to mess with earlier in the day than I seem to be getting to computer stuff butt there is a new email about the CPAP recall today so I can't stall further. It's a Seattle half snow not great to go anywhere day. And referring a former president for criminal prosecution is pretty darn sad, especially considering all his acolytes still buying....   As a wholesome break from politics and the volcano vids, some tips about growing okra but nothing in the video about what kind of soil or growing conditions it likes. For that there is the Google and a screen reader to list a lot of other plants one could be tempted to grow. Probably it will take more climate change before Okra would thrive in WA

Because every holiday needs a cheerful nerd talking about weird gestational realities 6 Types of Twins That Are Extremely Rare

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Not quite 6 hours of sleep. I think I need to work on building up some endurance. I did not do that much yesterday and I am exhausted today. But I did wake up in time for international worship. And I have a 3 pm Zoom call before the blind prayer warriors so maybe that is as much fun as I should try to have.

Alternating COVID cautious and COVID crazy

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 Almost SIX hours of sleep. If I had checked about a 9 am zoom sooner I could have slept longer. Instead, eat slow breakfast, wash hair and head out for holiday party. Party was acceptable. Too much salt and gluten, not enough fiber and caeser salad doesn't count. Thank the party planners. Do not gripe too much about stairs and no elevator, but consider going back... Everyone was glad to be in person. Lots of masks went on after the meal. I was SO grateful for ride home. Plus Google maps lied about walkability issues from nearby transit. Another too many leaves still on the trees shot

What kind of idiot tries to deal with Friday afternoon traffic on NE 65th, even on a bus?

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somewhere over 5 hours of sleep. One late-morning phone call and a shower and off to Mom's to help her put tiny things I can't really see on her small tree. I love the lights and beads. I just don't care about the angel on a sled. I am glad we both agree we want to try something different next year.  We snacked on whole grain raspberry fig bars and I showed her photos of my cousins' lovely diverse families. Now about getting the whole fam together again sometime over the holidays. I am tired of COVID. Sister and Brother in Law both have it. Nephew's concept of quarantining is, um... It's December.  Somehow I don't think  there are still supposed to be this many leaves still about.     

Volcano vid NASA style the Life Cycle of Volcanic Island Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai

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4 4,5 + hours of sleep leftover potato salad makes an interesting early breakfast GOD there are lot of people in the world who just need someone to listen to them ramble sometimes. Now, enjoy today's volcano vid.

Sore foot, a spoiled cat and a steaming pile of manure along with a negative COVID test

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Somewhere closer to 5 hours of sleep than I expected. I am a grownup. I don't HAVE to watch videos after the end of Kyiv worship. I also do NOT have to fuss with possible blog entries. But I am glad I woke up in time for the 9 am techno zoom. Ask me about broadband in multidwelling environments. I dare you.  No idea what is up with the stabbing pain in the middle of my right foot. Medical terror brain is going "OH NO, what if it's the same issue my brother is always complaining about. Anyway, I did not have to venture beyond my breezeway so wear festive striped socks and Chaco sandals all day. Foot hurts less at least.  Spoiled cat is sleeping on the sweater I want to wear so I chose another. Home COVID test I fogged my way through a home COVID test for the first time ever. I am glad it was negative although I would not necessarily have minded a way to beg off from the building Christmas party.  As for the manure, maybe it will wind its way blog posts either about my Blind

How about some nice particle physics to go with the laundry room experience? PS The Universe Isn't Locally Real - Nobel Prize in P...

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amazingly almost 5 hours of sleep in spite of the cat waking me up WAY too early. Laundry room is on the verge of going coinless. I would love to be wrong about that NOT working. In the meantime, late at night in the laundry room means dryers full of completely dry kids' sock and some responsible adult who is probably asleep instead of watching their dryers spin. It was awkward because somehow last night I think I sent someone's socks down behind one of the washers. But at least I had Youtube particle physics to entertain me.

Make sure bluetooth is turned on for both devices.

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5+ a little bit hours of sleep. The title has to do with my CPAP and a supposedly spiffy but not 100% accessible new smartphone app. After climing part way up the pair connection road several times, I decided I needed just to sleep on the problem. Also the point that the title would be lost on lots of smart phone novices A lot of leaves still on trees

Still Fascinated There’s a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea | Mapping the Hunga Tonga – Hung...

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SEVEN hours of sleep. That means I went back to bed after feeding the cat and eating a banana. It also means I slept half the morning away. And it was GLORIOUS. Sleep cuts way down on the options for walking into... I am SO tired of COVID. I am tired of "numbers going up" I am tired of oblique comments on Twitter that I am sure mean a real problem somewhere. I am also tired of family and COVID. I also get to look online and see if I can figure out the directions for my home COVID tests because the teeny tiny print on the box is ridiculous. I don't have any symptoms. Nothing worse than average, but...  Sister spent yesterday phoning around, got brother in law a Zoom visit AND a prescription for Paxlovid. Nephew even managed to fetch. Now there's Mom who couldn't find any line on her test and probably for a number of reasons does not want to ask anyone for help. Happy Advent world. And NO, I am NOT tired of volcano vids.

Overpressure: How the Tongan shockwave caused a tsunami

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Somewhere over 5 hours of sleep. Not very far over. This morning's zoom is Blind leadership experience case study. Speaking of build shared consensus. We do all seem to have figured out directions and something called Flipgrid. One person volunteered to collect everyone's single question videos into one long one. I would just follow the regular directions but we have another meeting on Monday before the project is due on Wednesday. I AM TIRED OF COVID. Whole fam was together Monday for nephew's birthday. Brother in law was really  sick yesterday like  wanted to go to ER sick yesterday. Today my sister is hoping to connect him with Paxlovid. She and nephew tested negative. I have to find my tests. And circles and circles AND... Other than that, no I am NOT insanely obsessed with the Hunga Tonga volcano but all the different pieces are fascinating and a welcome break from other media streams.

"Stakeholdering" and Zoom troubleshooting

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respectable 5+ hours of sleep. Guess what. When a whole bunch of blind people come to a meeting the whole group gets to troubleshoot! Since when is stakeholdering a verb? We are NOT at unity.        PS It's Friday bleeping afternoon so MAYBE later I will make a tactile image Christmas tree. Maybe WILL the software insist on munching the watermark too?

Give us this day our daily volcano vid and not even Mauna Loa: Aftermath of the Biggest Volcano Eruption Ever Caught on Tape from Space...

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7 glorious hours of sleep. 4+ going back to bed because OF COURSE when I go to bed early I still wake up after the same interval. SO restorative after big day yesterday. On the other hand, 2 of 4 video calls today I had NOT done prep I aspire to. So part of the call was to plan the next call because others had not prepared either.

Meowing alarm clock

Just about 5 hours of sleep. Cat started mewing in the living room. I moaned. Meowing louder and closer. Louder moan. Cat jumped on bed and meowed in my face. So no snagging a few minutes extra of sleep. Bound out of bed. Shower. Do Wednesday zoom. Be dressed and ... by the time others due. And they are both late or printer at home is behaving or.....  Kiev worship sounded more optimistic ...than I am. Basically A LOT could still go wrong and the path ... will be rocky.  Twitter is full of Things Going Badly all over Russia and arms merchandising on Youtube. Treat Twitter with caution. Or watch state media version of Alex Jones except way worse..  Happy Wednesday.

22 how did that happen?

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5+ hours of sleep. Nephew turned 22. We had teriyaki. I should have remembered to get yakisoba instead of rice. He has a friend who also came to the party. They are two tall guys and both well-rounded people I also should have just gone to sleep after the party but I clearly also needed my nightly video fix. Now to TEAMWORK and a volunteer recognition event. Happy Tuesday. The cat's weekly Saturday photo op  

Favorite carol, in Finnish for a change Pieni Rumpali / Tulkoon Joulu / Joulun Rauhaa | RASKASTA JOULUA | 2017

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     4+ hours of sleep I definitely MEANT to go to bed in time to sleep longer. Happy Birthday nephew. I can't believe it has been 22 years. One of nephew's tik toks just went viral with like 2 million hits in time for the occasion.  PS having people one cares about in the hospital is a drag. Grandma got sprung from a rough weekend just in time to have teriyaki for the birthday party but can't really tell me what is suspected. Maybe I can talk to my sister tomorrow. Other person is a neighbor who I had not seen since she sent an email a few days ago saying she was headed to the hospital. She had one surgery and looks to have another but also could not tell me much more. So I cc'd her on a question she had about rent payment. She was glad to hear from me but does not want visitors. And low, holiday festivity IN FINNISH because a tweet about dour Finnish Christmas carols sent me to Youtube. It's a welcome break from US politics, Russia's war on Ukraine, and even t

Covid free hair

almost 7 hours of sleep total in one 4-hour spurt plus 3 more hours of sleeping through Zoom events.  Excuse for last night's late bedtime. Zoom things started early so instead of washing hair in the morning, I did it before bed. I washed hair in some very nicely sudsing lavender hand sanitizer that is one of my pandemic artifacts along with multiple kinds of masks now stashed in various pockets and other stimulus payment Amazon shopping spree finds.  Lavender hair washing also to balance supplies of unscented shampoo and creme rinse which come in same size bottles even if they get used at different rates. Thinking of the Friend who pointed out a couple years ago that soap (and masks and vaccines ) are way better defense against COVID than are nuclear weapons. All this sleep means multiple other threads of free association...

When in doubt post another volcano vid: Tonga eruption and tsunami shock the world

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Close to six hours of sleep. Which clearly was not enough or I also need more activity than sitting in Zoom all day.  And two zooms at once .... ALL of the Zoom s were valuable and I feel well nourished. Nerd Saturday night and last collective wisdom Zoom of the day: Nothing quite like talking a blind law professor through a tangled reasonable accommodation and workplace poli tics issues for a student: voila professor is on the committee the student needs to be referred to NEXT. Have another nice volcano vid as a refreshing alternative to other info streams

My grandmother's Christmas cactus

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 Sort of kind of 5 hours of sleep.     No excuse, let alone any good excuse.  The volcano vids have to wait. Yesterday an actual on paper letter bore fruit and suddenly I was texting with a long ago divorced aunt. She texted me some of my cousins' familes and we started to catch up and say the past is the past and aunt is welcome as much or as little as she wants to the next Zoom family circle. Aunt sent pictures. I meant to sent Thanksgiving pics but the first time I inadvertantly sent my Christmas cactus.  So my aunt told me that one year my grandmother's Christmas cactus had over 350 red blossoms. It stayed in the house when it was sold after she died and when that person gave it to her daughter, it took two people to move it. Aunt says MAYBE she can make contact and get us both starts.  That sounds lovely. Meanwhile, today's Christmas cactus joy. Centering the contents of the photo not so much

Oddly soothing volcanic POPS and rumbles Tonga Volcanic Eruption as seen from Tonga 73 Kilometers Away

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almost 6 hours of sleep though bounding out of bed at 10 am still indicates kinks in sleep schedule. All I want to do is sunbathe and eat carbs. My apartment is underheated for reasons I don't want to deal with. And I need to take out compost. And my schedule has several things that need to happen NOW. First world problems. I am not sure why volcano videos are mostly soothing. This one not exactly though the sound effects are kind of fascinating.