MetaWhatYouLikedAboutToday November 6, 2019 8:09 PM Subscribe
It's the middle of the week, let's break up the doldrums. Tell me what you liked about today. Something you did, something someone else did for you, a photo, a cloud, a puppy you pet, whatever it is, just something you liked about today. As always, be kind to yourself and to others. Cheers.
I spent the afternoon out back sawing some plywood and 1x4s to make extra closet shelves. The weather was nice (63 F), I listened to Ozzy and Black Sabbath while I worked, and I'm excited to have more storage space. I never unpacked when I got here, aside from my clothes, and everything has been stacked around my bedroom this whole time. There's something symbolic about finally getting around to putting things away.
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 8:22 PM on November 6, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by shapes that haunt the dusk at 8:22 PM on November 6, 2019 [6 favorites]
I made a picture book for a friend's kid, featuring the girl photoshopped as a scientist doing research, presenting a poster, writing a paper, and giving a talk. The little girl saw it this weekend for the first time. This is how she reacted. (Her mom sent me the pics today)
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 8:23 PM on November 6, 2019 [40 favorites]
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 8:23 PM on November 6, 2019 [40 favorites]
Finally won Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup! Taken forever plus the major factors were ridiculous luck and some really nice streamlining of the game over its 6-monthly update release schedule.
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 8:26 PM on November 6, 2019 [5 favorites]
And War Axe Gnoll, his hour come round at last,
Slouches via Cheibriados to the Orb!
posted by I'm always feeling, Blue at 8:26 PM on November 6, 2019 [5 favorites]
I reorganized the edible section at work and managed to clear a very large very full rack. All while the temp here plummeted and set off my bad legs tendinitis due to the barometer shift. And I had a very good lunch.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:27 PM on November 6, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:27 PM on November 6, 2019 [5 favorites]
My hair looks absolutely fantastic today.
posted by thivaia at 8:43 PM on November 6, 2019 [16 favorites]
posted by thivaia at 8:43 PM on November 6, 2019 [16 favorites]
I went for a really long, satisfying nature walk with a friend.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:54 PM on November 6, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:54 PM on November 6, 2019 [4 favorites]
I finally learned how to use PowerPivot in Excel, and got a deep-tissue massage. So that's two things I liked about today.
posted by Gorgik at 8:56 PM on November 6, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by Gorgik at 8:56 PM on November 6, 2019 [7 favorites]
I caught up with waxpancake for the first time outside of XOXO stuff in I don't know how long, for lunch at a nice Korean street food place I hadn't been to before. Talked about internet stuff and blogging despite blogging being dead and some of the weird fun shit he's seen online lately.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:15 PM on November 6, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:15 PM on November 6, 2019 [6 favorites]
Trader Joe's has Fall Harvest herbal tea back in stock, AND ginger mints!! I have been hoarding my last two ginger mints for nearly a year.
posted by muddgirl at 9:45 PM on November 6, 2019 [10 favorites]
posted by muddgirl at 9:45 PM on November 6, 2019 [10 favorites]
I had a really great experience with a city worker today. She really went above and beyond to try to help me, checking with others in her department about scheduling, calling me back twice. She was just great, and super nice. (For my part, I was effusive with thanks.)
Also pesto pizza.
Also a really good huevo ranchero for breakfast.
So many things.
posted by kristi at 9:49 PM on November 6, 2019 [8 favorites]
Also pesto pizza.
Also a really good huevo ranchero for breakfast.
So many things.
posted by kristi at 9:49 PM on November 6, 2019 [8 favorites]
Oh! And Fizz asked another great mid-week Metatalk. I really liked that.
posted by kristi at 9:50 PM on November 6, 2019 [13 favorites]
posted by kristi at 9:50 PM on November 6, 2019 [13 favorites]
I got super mad about the messy house and flu, wrote an angry post and then realised I had freeloaders, aka children, capable of doing chores and handed over three hours of housework to one of them who after moaning under a blanket is now grimly mopping the floor like Cinderfella, only no tap-dancing.
Also, Tumblr made up for its ditziness by a random PSA post that listed a new cough syrup I'd been prescribed that turned out to be wildly contra-indicated for two of my other medications which explained the weird symptoms I've had for the past week and makes me feel less like my brain is melting, and very glad that I ran out early and was too exhausted to get a refill.
These do not sound like positive things, but crawling from the Pit of Despair that is a ten-day-flu, finding out that you are not entering early menopause/going new flavour of crazy, it's just the bloody cough medicine is like the opening chords of a Taylor Swift song.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 9:58 PM on November 6, 2019 [12 favorites]
Also, Tumblr made up for its ditziness by a random PSA post that listed a new cough syrup I'd been prescribed that turned out to be wildly contra-indicated for two of my other medications which explained the weird symptoms I've had for the past week and makes me feel less like my brain is melting, and very glad that I ran out early and was too exhausted to get a refill.
These do not sound like positive things, but crawling from the Pit of Despair that is a ten-day-flu, finding out that you are not entering early menopause/going new flavour of crazy, it's just the bloody cough medicine is like the opening chords of a Taylor Swift song.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 9:58 PM on November 6, 2019 [12 favorites]
I made nachos.
posted by ninazer0 at 10:45 PM on November 6, 2019 [9 favorites]
posted by ninazer0 at 10:45 PM on November 6, 2019 [9 favorites]
I woke up a little early and while doodling here at my laptop waiting for me to get to an energy level that allows me to make me some coffee, I found this music clip, which I found pretty marvellous.
I like the archaic piece, the setting and acoustics, and the instrument is a fantastic specimen to my (informed) taste. Also, stumbling across this guy on youtube was special: Marco Mencoboni was one of my fellow students in Amsterdam 35 years ago, an intensely goofy character who was great at juggling and made everyone laugh, so I got a bit nostalgic here. I need that coffee now, which will be the next thing that's good about this day.
posted by Namlit at 11:45 PM on November 6, 2019 [4 favorites]
I like the archaic piece, the setting and acoustics, and the instrument is a fantastic specimen to my (informed) taste. Also, stumbling across this guy on youtube was special: Marco Mencoboni was one of my fellow students in Amsterdam 35 years ago, an intensely goofy character who was great at juggling and made everyone laugh, so I got a bit nostalgic here. I need that coffee now, which will be the next thing that's good about this day.
posted by Namlit at 11:45 PM on November 6, 2019 [4 favorites]
We got the news about two weeks ago. The New York State Erie Canal Corporation was once again gonna allow Colonial Belle to go into their dry dock in Lyons, New York. This was glorious news, as they had kicked us out last year, after 25 years of allowing us to dock our 60-foot tour boat in with their tugs and scows and dredges.
It took a monumental effort on the part of the Belle's owners to get us back in. They had everyone within the industry and local politics write letters and lobby for us. The Canal Corp story was they hadn't room, or the insurance, or something else. While at the same time they claim they're trying to increase tourism and local participation on the Erie Canal.
So it was both a surprise and a relief to find out we could go to dry dock. Otherwise, we would have to pilot the boat either to Canada or to almost Manhattan to find a facility that could accommodate us. Or we could stay in the water, like last year, with bubblers under the boat to prevent the ice from crushing our hull. But the long cold winter, even with bubblers, had more or less trashed the diesel engines keel-cooling system. Which meant we lost about 2-1/2 months of revenue in the beginning of the season due to a full engine rebuild. Which also meant that about a thousand 4th graders from the surrounding counties didn't get to take their annual historic cruise along the Erie Canal in May of 2019.
So we steamed from Fairport to Lyons last week, and put the boat on the skirt wall between the gates to Lock 28A and the gates to the dry dock.
The way dry dock works is you get there, then you wait. All the other boats going in have to get there as well, and then they flood the dock and all the boats go in at one time, then they drain it. It's basically a huge lock. Only it's one way, in and out. Anyway, while we're parked, waiting for the day when they flood, we winterize the boat.
The Colonial Belle was built in 1961; it's got some pretty old onboard tech. And because it's a Coast Guard inspected vessel, it has six water-tight compartments below the dining room and main deck. We keep 750 gallons of water in the forepeak compartment, way up front in the bow, as ballast. This extra weight is what allows us to navigate below the low bridges along the Erie Canal.
There's an integral bilge-pump attached to the main engine, and a dizzying array of valves and pipes that allow you to pump water out of the water-tight compartments, in case there's ever a hull breach. The upshot is that the forepeak has to be pumped out, and all those pipes have to be force-fed antifreeze so nothing bursts when the thermometer dips below freezing.
We started on Monday, winterizing. But the pump wasn't operating as it should. We got three of the compartments set, and then we started having problems with the freshwater systems (but that's another story).
Anyway, today we went out and got the rest of the compartments squared away, and then pulled the integral pump off the main engine. As we suspected, the pump was shot; when we pulled the cover off the back, the impeller was a shredded mess. It had two blades left out of fourteen. Plus the hoses were obviously loose and sucking air.
But that was the high point! The best thing that happened today! We got the boat done under less than ideal conditions, and then identified the problem!
While we were working, I yelled across to a couple of Canal Corp guys who were perched on a tender tug off our stern and asked them if they knew when the plan was to actually flood the dry dock, and we could finish the season. They yelled back something about Tuesday.
We're supposed to get 3-4 inches of snow on Tuesday.
Figures.
posted by valkane at 12:03 AM on November 7, 2019 [27 favorites]
It took a monumental effort on the part of the Belle's owners to get us back in. They had everyone within the industry and local politics write letters and lobby for us. The Canal Corp story was they hadn't room, or the insurance, or something else. While at the same time they claim they're trying to increase tourism and local participation on the Erie Canal.
So it was both a surprise and a relief to find out we could go to dry dock. Otherwise, we would have to pilot the boat either to Canada or to almost Manhattan to find a facility that could accommodate us. Or we could stay in the water, like last year, with bubblers under the boat to prevent the ice from crushing our hull. But the long cold winter, even with bubblers, had more or less trashed the diesel engines keel-cooling system. Which meant we lost about 2-1/2 months of revenue in the beginning of the season due to a full engine rebuild. Which also meant that about a thousand 4th graders from the surrounding counties didn't get to take their annual historic cruise along the Erie Canal in May of 2019.
So we steamed from Fairport to Lyons last week, and put the boat on the skirt wall between the gates to Lock 28A and the gates to the dry dock.
The way dry dock works is you get there, then you wait. All the other boats going in have to get there as well, and then they flood the dock and all the boats go in at one time, then they drain it. It's basically a huge lock. Only it's one way, in and out. Anyway, while we're parked, waiting for the day when they flood, we winterize the boat.
The Colonial Belle was built in 1961; it's got some pretty old onboard tech. And because it's a Coast Guard inspected vessel, it has six water-tight compartments below the dining room and main deck. We keep 750 gallons of water in the forepeak compartment, way up front in the bow, as ballast. This extra weight is what allows us to navigate below the low bridges along the Erie Canal.
There's an integral bilge-pump attached to the main engine, and a dizzying array of valves and pipes that allow you to pump water out of the water-tight compartments, in case there's ever a hull breach. The upshot is that the forepeak has to be pumped out, and all those pipes have to be force-fed antifreeze so nothing bursts when the thermometer dips below freezing.
We started on Monday, winterizing. But the pump wasn't operating as it should. We got three of the compartments set, and then we started having problems with the freshwater systems (but that's another story).
Anyway, today we went out and got the rest of the compartments squared away, and then pulled the integral pump off the main engine. As we suspected, the pump was shot; when we pulled the cover off the back, the impeller was a shredded mess. It had two blades left out of fourteen. Plus the hoses were obviously loose and sucking air.
But that was the high point! The best thing that happened today! We got the boat done under less than ideal conditions, and then identified the problem!
While we were working, I yelled across to a couple of Canal Corp guys who were perched on a tender tug off our stern and asked them if they knew when the plan was to actually flood the dry dock, and we could finish the season. They yelled back something about Tuesday.
We're supposed to get 3-4 inches of snow on Tuesday.
Figures.
posted by valkane at 12:03 AM on November 7, 2019 [27 favorites]
This evening I posted to my closest-friends group chat the idea that we all meet for dinner next week at a new vegan restaurant close to my work. Within 10 minutes they all said yes, and were fine with the proposed date and time. this never happens! it was amazing!!!
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:56 AM on November 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:56 AM on November 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
For the record, Fizz, you continue to be awesome.
Can I cheat and make it yesterday? I finished the first chapter of this thing that is trying to be a fantasy novel. It's only about 4000+ words so far but I have an outline for the whole thing (and intimations of books 2 and 3, God help me) and now I've sat down and schmoozed with the three main characters and I know them a little better and feel like there is a depth and breadth I can make something out of. I haven't done original fiction seriously in a long time and damn it feels good.
posted by huimangm at 2:17 AM on November 7, 2019 [10 favorites]
Can I cheat and make it yesterday? I finished the first chapter of this thing that is trying to be a fantasy novel. It's only about 4000+ words so far but I have an outline for the whole thing (and intimations of books 2 and 3, God help me) and now I've sat down and schmoozed with the three main characters and I know them a little better and feel like there is a depth and breadth I can make something out of. I haven't done original fiction seriously in a long time and damn it feels good.
posted by huimangm at 2:17 AM on November 7, 2019 [10 favorites]
Yesterday I finished making an absolutely enormous pile of leaves and brought a class of four year old kids to jump in it. They did with joy and hilarity. And when they were tired of just jumping I lay down in it and they buried me in leaves while madly giggling. And then we raked leaves. And then we made the leaf equivalent of snow angels. And then I got buried again. And then we looked at some of the different kinds of leaves that were in the leaf pile.
posted by sciencegeek at 2:38 AM on November 7, 2019 [16 favorites]
posted by sciencegeek at 2:38 AM on November 7, 2019 [16 favorites]
My man has been sick for days. He finished 2 pieces of toast and it stayed down. Little victories!
For me, I fixed something for one of the senior devs in my department. I’ve only been with this group for 3 weeks. My third code review sailed through with only one comment: fix a doc string. Yay!
And cheating a little, my happy moment was yesterday when I brought in homemade sweetie treats for my new team. And watching them disappear so quickly.
Summer is coming; sunset was at around 8pm.
Thank you, Fizz, this is delightful.
posted by lemon_icing at 2:53 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
For me, I fixed something for one of the senior devs in my department. I’ve only been with this group for 3 weeks. My third code review sailed through with only one comment: fix a doc string. Yay!
And cheating a little, my happy moment was yesterday when I brought in homemade sweetie treats for my new team. And watching them disappear so quickly.
Summer is coming; sunset was at around 8pm.
Thank you, Fizz, this is delightful.
posted by lemon_icing at 2:53 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
Yesterday was my birthday, and I had the BEST day. The manfriend got matinee Hamilton tickets, so we went and saw that. This is my third time seeing it, but the first time i was actually close enough to see the actor's faces and dancing up close, which makes a huge difference.
We got brunch beforehand at one of my favorite places in Chicago, then afterwards we popped in at the First Wednesday Mefi Meetup. I don't get to see that group of people nearly often enough, and it was delightful. Then, we headed back to the suburbs and went to one of my favorite Italian places and ate lots of bread and pasta. Here's an Instagram post about the whole thing. It was really really lovely.
Also, the night before I sent out a special card club request and got a ton of people volunteering to send out additional cards to someone having a rough go of it, which made me so grateful to be a part of this wonderful community. Between that and the myriad of people going out of their way to send birthday wishes, I was filled with gratitude and love from pretty much when I woke up to when I went to sleep. It was a perfect way to start out this lap around the sun.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 4:21 AM on November 7, 2019 [19 favorites]
We got brunch beforehand at one of my favorite places in Chicago, then afterwards we popped in at the First Wednesday Mefi Meetup. I don't get to see that group of people nearly often enough, and it was delightful. Then, we headed back to the suburbs and went to one of my favorite Italian places and ate lots of bread and pasta. Here's an Instagram post about the whole thing. It was really really lovely.
Also, the night before I sent out a special card club request and got a ton of people volunteering to send out additional cards to someone having a rough go of it, which made me so grateful to be a part of this wonderful community. Between that and the myriad of people going out of their way to send birthday wishes, I was filled with gratitude and love from pretty much when I woke up to when I went to sleep. It was a perfect way to start out this lap around the sun.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 4:21 AM on November 7, 2019 [19 favorites]
Yesterday was a bad post-insomnia day, but I made it through enough of a workday, and then managed a nap, and later a full night’s sleep — so it ultimately felt victorious. Also, I learned I might be serving on someone’s dissertation committee, which as a nonfaculty scientist would be a small career milestone for me, and an unexpected one.
Little e has continued to struggle in school (sigh) but yesterday evening she proclaimed: “I had a good day because I am the Lightning Griffin, bringer of all good days!!” May that superhero spirit last another day.
posted by eirias at 4:28 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
Little e has continued to struggle in school (sigh) but yesterday evening she proclaimed: “I had a good day because I am the Lightning Griffin, bringer of all good days!!” May that superhero spirit last another day.
posted by eirias at 4:28 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
Sparky Buttons — AHHH I love Little Goat!! I try to go there whenever I’m on my own in Chicago. Happy birthday. :)
posted by eirias at 4:31 AM on November 7, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by eirias at 4:31 AM on November 7, 2019 [3 favorites]
I’m out working on the ship, and yesterday I got up early and bought donuts for our local support crew and our sponsors on board. People are stressed because things keep breaking, so it was nice to see a few bright faces when they heard there were baked goods.
posted by backseatpilot at 4:32 AM on November 7, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by backseatpilot at 4:32 AM on November 7, 2019 [3 favorites]
Yesterday was mostly lovely - best part was, without getting too specific, that a thing I wrote for work went very well and people were excited to use it with other teams. Buy-in is no small feat, my friends.
posted by wellred at 4:58 AM on November 7, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by wellred at 4:58 AM on November 7, 2019 [7 favorites]
I starting drinking coffee again after a six month hiatus. *heart eyes emoji*
posted by something something at 5:20 AM on November 7, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by something something at 5:20 AM on November 7, 2019 [7 favorites]
I've been editing a series of books, written by an English teacher about GCSE English literature texts, and feeling pretty not-confident in making corrections to an English English teacher's writing and ideas, as someone whose native language is not English, and having not done any English lit stuff since secondary school, never mind anything related to teaching it, but I've just got a final draft of the most recent book through, and she's integrated all of my suggested changes in both language and content, along with a note thanking me for those suggestions, so yay, I'm not a useless fraud!
posted by Dysk at 5:27 AM on November 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by Dysk at 5:27 AM on November 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
The weather. Oh, the weather. It's bliss.
Woke up too early as I'd tossed the top layer of covers off and I was too cold and stiff to move. Pulled the top layer of covers back and warmed up. Perfect weather for snuggling and enjoying blankets. I did not overheat at all, through the entire night. Slept from eleven until six without waking.
It's windy, yellow leaves being stripped from the trees, a light drizzle has started, it's a couple of degrees above freezing. So not slippery but nice and cold and blustery. Gorgeous weather for being out walking. Gorgeous weather for being inside and looking out.
It's overcast. There are so many different hues, greys and greens, it's easy to actually see, not too bright and the greys bringing out the tones in things so well - everything looks more beautiful in this light - russet branches against the brown ground, brick walls, pavement. The trees are now showing their bones and their bones are awe-inspiring with balance and whimsy, function and fractal.
Later it's expected to rain hard and there will be the steady music of the rain pattering. It feels beautiful. It sounds beautiful. My whole body feels good.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:47 AM on November 7, 2019 [9 favorites]
Woke up too early as I'd tossed the top layer of covers off and I was too cold and stiff to move. Pulled the top layer of covers back and warmed up. Perfect weather for snuggling and enjoying blankets. I did not overheat at all, through the entire night. Slept from eleven until six without waking.
It's windy, yellow leaves being stripped from the trees, a light drizzle has started, it's a couple of degrees above freezing. So not slippery but nice and cold and blustery. Gorgeous weather for being out walking. Gorgeous weather for being inside and looking out.
It's overcast. There are so many different hues, greys and greens, it's easy to actually see, not too bright and the greys bringing out the tones in things so well - everything looks more beautiful in this light - russet branches against the brown ground, brick walls, pavement. The trees are now showing their bones and their bones are awe-inspiring with balance and whimsy, function and fractal.
Later it's expected to rain hard and there will be the steady music of the rain pattering. It feels beautiful. It sounds beautiful. My whole body feels good.
posted by Jane the Brown at 5:47 AM on November 7, 2019 [9 favorites]
On my way into the office this morning, there was a man whistling next to me in the hallway. And he was exceptionally good at whistling? He whistled a whole melody with a bunch of trills and grace notes and it was really, really beautiful. I didn't know people could actually whistle that way outside of Disney movies.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:14 AM on November 7, 2019 [13 favorites]
posted by jacquilynne at 6:14 AM on November 7, 2019 [13 favorites]
Happy birthday for yesterday Sparky! Glad you had a lovely day. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel with EMDR, after feeling like it wasn't working and was just hard for no reason. One or two sessions left!
posted by ellieBOA at 6:31 AM on November 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by ellieBOA at 6:31 AM on November 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
Yesterday I had a friend open up and ask about how to start getting help with depression. She's the partner of another close friend and she is a very, very quiet person and it must have been pretty difficult for her to open up and talk about it.
While the depression itself sucks, what I liked about this exchange is the following:
That today it's a lot easier for me to be open and talk about these things, how they make me feel day to day and what I do about it. I definitely wouldn't have had the self awareness or strength to talk about these things when I was her age. Today I can easily talk about symptoms and causes of depression and it's not a major bummer, trigger or stress to objectively talk about things.
That it was much easier to give advice that helps. "Yes, you should totally talk to a professional. In fact, this sounds like a great time for you to find a regular PCP at our local hospital since you don't have one yet, instead of just going into the free/day clinic. Having an ongoing relationship with a doctor you like is very helpful, and makes it easier to get help and referrals." and so on. Many years ago even having this conversation about doctors would have stressed me out and I would have been very avoidant.
That the chat and advice helped, a lot, and she was deeply relaxed and relieved. I'm so mired in my own problems I forget I can do this sort of thing, even if I think it's kind of bonkers that people think I have any of this figured out or have useful advice, because I still feel like a human dumpster fire most of the time.
But on the other hand, apparently I've been growing and healing. Just 4-5 years ago I would have had a lot of anxiety even talking about doctors. Today my response is a lot more energetically like "Doctors are awesome, I love my doctor. Do it, go find a doctor you like! You're insured, use it!"
posted by loquacious at 7:20 AM on November 7, 2019 [10 favorites]
While the depression itself sucks, what I liked about this exchange is the following:
That today it's a lot easier for me to be open and talk about these things, how they make me feel day to day and what I do about it. I definitely wouldn't have had the self awareness or strength to talk about these things when I was her age. Today I can easily talk about symptoms and causes of depression and it's not a major bummer, trigger or stress to objectively talk about things.
That it was much easier to give advice that helps. "Yes, you should totally talk to a professional. In fact, this sounds like a great time for you to find a regular PCP at our local hospital since you don't have one yet, instead of just going into the free/day clinic. Having an ongoing relationship with a doctor you like is very helpful, and makes it easier to get help and referrals." and so on. Many years ago even having this conversation about doctors would have stressed me out and I would have been very avoidant.
That the chat and advice helped, a lot, and she was deeply relaxed and relieved. I'm so mired in my own problems I forget I can do this sort of thing, even if I think it's kind of bonkers that people think I have any of this figured out or have useful advice, because I still feel like a human dumpster fire most of the time.
But on the other hand, apparently I've been growing and healing. Just 4-5 years ago I would have had a lot of anxiety even talking about doctors. Today my response is a lot more energetically like "Doctors are awesome, I love my doctor. Do it, go find a doctor you like! You're insured, use it!"
posted by loquacious at 7:20 AM on November 7, 2019 [10 favorites]
Last night I went to a ceremony where I, along with a hundred other folks, got honored for 25 years of service to the hospital we work at. It was a mix of interesting and awkward in that way work functions can be. Still, though, 25 years is a long time to be working for one place.
Getting home late was an adventure because the trains were all cancelled due to an earlier train hitting someone on the tracks. Hard to complain when such a thing occurs.
But I got home and had a glass of scotch while in the bath, taking relaxing evening with a mixture of pride for working here so long but also wondering why the hell I didn't quit 20 years ago and do something I might enjoy a bit more. I guess the answer to that is "I have bills to pay and also my family needs health care."
posted by bondcliff at 8:11 AM on November 7, 2019 [12 favorites]
Getting home late was an adventure because the trains were all cancelled due to an earlier train hitting someone on the tracks. Hard to complain when such a thing occurs.
But I got home and had a glass of scotch while in the bath, taking relaxing evening with a mixture of pride for working here so long but also wondering why the hell I didn't quit 20 years ago and do something I might enjoy a bit more. I guess the answer to that is "I have bills to pay and also my family needs health care."
posted by bondcliff at 8:11 AM on November 7, 2019 [12 favorites]
I cleaned my apartment for a prospective tenant so now i have a really clean space (if you can ignore the pyramid of half-packed boxes in the living room). I am also extremely proud of myself for all the decluttering I’ve managed to do pre-move. Still looking for a new place but it’s going to be fine right !!!
posted by janepanic at 8:20 AM on November 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by janepanic at 8:20 AM on November 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
Passed someone walking in the other direction on the way to work who was wearing a really awesome multicolored cape (the cold weather kind, not the superhero kind) and I was biking slowly enough to compliment it.
I didn't know people could actually whistle that way outside of Disney movies.
I like my new next-door neighbor, but I really miss my old neighbor's whistling. At least their dogs are equivalently cute.
posted by asperity at 8:55 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
I didn't know people could actually whistle that way outside of Disney movies.
I like my new next-door neighbor, but I really miss my old neighbor's whistling. At least their dogs are equivalently cute.
posted by asperity at 8:55 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
Last night I ran my last weekly 5-miler before this weekend's half marathon, which will be my first. I felt strong and unstoppable, and it was the fastest Wednesday night run I've ever done. I'm keenly aware that it has been time, dedication, the support of my friends, luck and genetics (is that redundant?) that I'm even able to be at this point. I love running because it is an individual sport that benefits from groups, and I love it because it continues to challenge me, and I love it because it makes me feel alive, for better or for worse, every time I do it. It is my new way to mark time, filling in many ways the same role that school once filled. It has greatly increased incidental run-ins with people I know, which makes me feel more enmeshed in my community, and gives me common ground with strangers and acquaintances that I might not otherwise have had.
Anyhow, last night was a really good run, and I'm happy about that, and hopefully this Saturday will bring success. But even if it is an abject failure, I will still have done it, and I will like that.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:56 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
Anyhow, last night was a really good run, and I'm happy about that, and hopefully this Saturday will bring success. But even if it is an abject failure, I will still have done it, and I will like that.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:56 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
Yesterday I got some mugwort tinctures in the mail from a plant witch I know, so I sampled one before bed and had the best night of sleep in weeks, with dreams vivid enough that I actually remember bits and chunks even hours after waking. Lately my sleep has been meh enough that I don't remember dreams at all, so this is an excellent development.
Also I have the next four days off and the weather is cold and gloomy in just the ways I like best, and if all goes well this weekend I'll have done enough fall hiking on local trails to fulfill the county's fall hiking spree requirements, which will earn me a fucking sweet wooden hiking staff.
posted by palomar at 9:06 AM on November 7, 2019 [8 favorites]
Also I have the next four days off and the weather is cold and gloomy in just the ways I like best, and if all goes well this weekend I'll have done enough fall hiking on local trails to fulfill the county's fall hiking spree requirements, which will earn me a fucking sweet wooden hiking staff.
posted by palomar at 9:06 AM on November 7, 2019 [8 favorites]
I presented my first library program last night and it went really well! I haven't done a group presentation in a long time and I forgot how much I like doing that kind of thing. The patrons were engaged and I got lots of nice compliments from some as they left.
posted by bookmammal at 9:52 AM on November 7, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by bookmammal at 9:52 AM on November 7, 2019 [7 favorites]
I like all of these comments & stories.
posted by Fizz at 10:00 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 10:00 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
What I am liking about today is that after today I have six days left of working for this company and I am super, super excited about the new gig.
posted by Sequence at 10:14 AM on November 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by Sequence at 10:14 AM on November 7, 2019 [6 favorites]
It snowed recently in WI, so my five-year-old daughter built a snowgirl. She used twigs to give her a face and the top of one of our jack-o-lanterns for a (witchy-looking) hat. The snowgirl is like eighteen inches tall, tops, and she is just freakishly adorable.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:46 AM on November 7, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:46 AM on November 7, 2019 [8 favorites]
I'm really loving my work lately. San Francisco is lovely and foggy today, my hair is behaving nicely, and I'm going to have dollar oysters at happy hour later. Also I've been playing lots of Katamari, reading some fantastic books, and knitting socks. All of this is good.
posted by sunset in snow country at 11:05 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by sunset in snow country at 11:05 AM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
I finally learned how to use PowerPivot in Excel, and got a deep-tissue massage. I keep reading that as if you figured out how to get Excel to give you a deep-tissue massage. Respect.
I made curried turkey and potatoes and added peas because I forgot to add cabbage, so now I will call it Aloo Mattar hotdish. I also made stuffing with sausage and roasted butternut squash to take to a potluck meeting this evening. The meeting organizer loves meetings, but serves wine, so it works out. It's cold and wet out, the weatherfolk are predicting snow, but my house is toasty warm.
Hugs to kanata(if you'd like), kanata's dog, and anybody else who'd like one. Fizz, these posts are a nice community builder, plz keep being Fizz.
posted by theora55 at 11:37 AM on November 7, 2019 [9 favorites]
I made curried turkey and potatoes and added peas because I forgot to add cabbage, so now I will call it Aloo Mattar hotdish. I also made stuffing with sausage and roasted butternut squash to take to a potluck meeting this evening. The meeting organizer loves meetings, but serves wine, so it works out. It's cold and wet out, the weatherfolk are predicting snow, but my house is toasty warm.
Hugs to kanata(if you'd like), kanata's dog, and anybody else who'd like one. Fizz, these posts are a nice community builder, plz keep being Fizz.
posted by theora55 at 11:37 AM on November 7, 2019 [9 favorites]
I got it!! Living on a goat farm has been a fantasy my whole entire life and I got word today that I'll be doing it from December to June. Heck yeah! Six months of birthing kids and curing manure and cleaning pens and making soap and making cheese and nearly a dozen dog friends and and and and. I am not naturally a "see the bright side" kind of guy but one good thing about a extended years-long depression that causes you to lose nearly everything is that it just might get you to a place where ya got nothing else to lose so you might as well make your dreams come true. So I'm off!
AHHHHHHHHHH I'M SO EXCITED!! And scared! And excited! AND it's going to be all lady farmers while I am there!! This is too great. This is just too great!!
posted by youarenothere at 12:05 PM on November 7, 2019 [22 favorites]
AHHHHHHHHHH I'M SO EXCITED!! And scared! And excited! AND it's going to be all lady farmers while I am there!! This is too great. This is just too great!!
posted by youarenothere at 12:05 PM on November 7, 2019 [22 favorites]
Kottke.org (along with Metafilter, it's Old Internet Royalty) linked to my blog and I've just been buzzing about that for the last couple of days.
posted by Paragon at 12:27 PM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Paragon at 12:27 PM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
My risk-avoidant, fearful of change kid is doing her senior year of high school at the local community college, which, aside from the aside from the benefit of free college credits, we thought would be really helpful for her as a transition to the freedoms and responsibilities of future dorm life.
Today was registration day for next semester's classes. She built herself a schedule of classes that meet her interests (having fulfilled graduation requirements this semester, her high school allowed her to enroll in whatever she wanted), notably Drawing II at the request of her professor (she is graduating from a charter high school for the arts, after all) and another sociology class because the class she's taking this semester sparked something in her.
And she only has classes two days a week. Four day weekends and Tuesdays off in between.
Yeah, my kid is so ready for college. She is going to be just fine.
So that's my happy. I'm actually the happiest about the way she's connected with sociology. I love to see her mind so engaged with something, plus we've had some fantastic conversations related to lecture topics. (Of course, as I was writing that, she just waved to get my attention and then burped at me, but that's fantastic, too.)
posted by Ruki at 12:33 PM on November 7, 2019 [19 favorites]
Today was registration day for next semester's classes. She built herself a schedule of classes that meet her interests (having fulfilled graduation requirements this semester, her high school allowed her to enroll in whatever she wanted), notably Drawing II at the request of her professor (she is graduating from a charter high school for the arts, after all) and another sociology class because the class she's taking this semester sparked something in her.
And she only has classes two days a week. Four day weekends and Tuesdays off in between.
Yeah, my kid is so ready for college. She is going to be just fine.
So that's my happy. I'm actually the happiest about the way she's connected with sociology. I love to see her mind so engaged with something, plus we've had some fantastic conversations related to lecture topics. (Of course, as I was writing that, she just waved to get my attention and then burped at me, but that's fantastic, too.)
posted by Ruki at 12:33 PM on November 7, 2019 [19 favorites]
I had meadowfoam honey in my tea this morning - it tastes like marshmallows! - and this evening, I get to play D&D after having spent the last month and a half struggling to get my group together. They are going to finish this dungeon if I have to somehow dive into the game world and defeat the boss myself.
posted by darchildre at 12:35 PM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by darchildre at 12:35 PM on November 7, 2019 [5 favorites]
The day before yesterday a shingles vaccine kicked my butt. Yesterday I went to the doctor to confirm that said butt kicking was routine and nothing to worry about. I had my first ever EKG, and it was Fast, Easy, and (a bit) Fun. Plus I felt a lot better as the day went on, so that is what I liked.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 12:44 PM on November 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Midnight Skulker at 12:44 PM on November 7, 2019 [2 favorites]
I missed this yesterday but I’m going to answer just as if it’s still yesterday because yesterday was awesome! First I woke up late because I stayed up too late the night before at an election party for the candidate whose campaign I’ve been working on. She won! By an actual landslide!
Then I went to work while my lovely man friend took my dog hiking, and when I got home my dog was tired and happy and so were we and I cooked a delicious dinner and we had a blissfully cozy, contented evening by the fire. I feel so peaceful and comfortable these days. Loveful.
Thanks for this post, Fizz!
posted by HotToddy at 2:37 PM on November 7, 2019 [4 favorites]
Then I went to work while my lovely man friend took my dog hiking, and when I got home my dog was tired and happy and so were we and I cooked a delicious dinner and we had a blissfully cozy, contented evening by the fire. I feel so peaceful and comfortable these days. Loveful.
Thanks for this post, Fizz!
posted by HotToddy at 2:37 PM on November 7, 2019 [4 favorites]
I got up early and talked myself into going to the gym, which was no small feat. I hated doing it but am so glad I did it.
Tonight, I'm taking my son out for dinner, meeting a friend at a local stereo store for some kind of event (he's a total audiophile and I'm not, but seeing $80,000 speakers in person might be interesting) and then playing my weekly cribbage match with another friend after I get home.
So I'm assuming I'll like all the things that haven't happened yet!
posted by Twicketface at 2:53 PM on November 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
Tonight, I'm taking my son out for dinner, meeting a friend at a local stereo store for some kind of event (he's a total audiophile and I'm not, but seeing $80,000 speakers in person might be interesting) and then playing my weekly cribbage match with another friend after I get home.
So I'm assuming I'll like all the things that haven't happened yet!
posted by Twicketface at 2:53 PM on November 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
I have a kitten in my house. I know it's a big commitment and in essence, I've got a speed addicted tweaker destroying everything I love in my home, but I love him and somehow don't care. I knew this would be delightful, just not this delightful.
posted by Stanczyk at 5:35 PM on November 7, 2019 [13 favorites]
posted by Stanczyk at 5:35 PM on November 7, 2019 [13 favorites]
Today I went over to the Petsmart with my pup and the local humane society had half a dozen 2 month old kittens up for adoption! They were so cute and wiggly and pouncy fun. (we couldn't hold them because they were brand new and getting adjusted).
On preview - lol perfect timing for this story.
posted by muddgirl at 5:37 PM on November 7, 2019 [4 favorites]
On preview - lol perfect timing for this story.
posted by muddgirl at 5:37 PM on November 7, 2019 [4 favorites]
I made something delicious today from Alison Roman's new book Nothing Fancy - Crushed Peas with Burrata and Black Olives. Yum yum yum! As she says in the book, the peas are mainly an excuse to eat lots of burrata, but I heartily approve of such stratagems.
posted by peacheater at 6:26 PM on November 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by peacheater at 6:26 PM on November 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
I got to work from home today, which was nice both because it helped me catch up on a lot of planning I've been wanting to do, and because it meant I got to hang out with my dog all day. Then this evening I met my wife for a spontaneous dinner out before she had to go to choir practice - I wasn't expecting to see her until later on tonight, so the impromptu dinner date (and subsequent time spent goofing through a nearby odds-and-ends store together) was really nice!
posted by DingoMutt at 9:11 PM on November 7, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by DingoMutt at 9:11 PM on November 7, 2019 [3 favorites]
Things I very much liked today: having lunch with my bestie and drawing cards for self-compassion practice together, working on my current project which is making an oracle deck for a friend and involves ink pads and paints and collage, looking at my little cat's even liddler paws, espresso with pumpkin cream, my smoky quartz point, hearing about a powerful and wonderful moment for a child I work with, lighting candles at home for coziness, hugging my wife.
posted by fairlynearlyready at 10:03 PM on November 7, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by fairlynearlyready at 10:03 PM on November 7, 2019 [3 favorites]
Is it still today? I saw the most amazing Wisteria against a stone wall which made me shout wow aloud as I drove by, I later saw a small hillside strewn in blood red Californian poppy, a very happy sight that I hope to blog about. Can we have more happy today questions?
posted by unearthed at 11:10 PM on November 7, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by unearthed at 11:10 PM on November 7, 2019 [4 favorites]
It's always today.
It's morning here. I'm wearing a new kilt and new argyle knee socks with new-to-me combat boots. I re-dyed my hair yesterday. I feel like I'm looking pretty damned fine.
The sun is shining, our solar panels are doing their best, and I'm using that energy to charge the e-car.
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:42 AM on November 8, 2019 [6 favorites]
It's morning here. I'm wearing a new kilt and new argyle knee socks with new-to-me combat boots. I re-dyed my hair yesterday. I feel like I'm looking pretty damned fine.
The sun is shining, our solar panels are doing their best, and I'm using that energy to charge the e-car.
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:42 AM on November 8, 2019 [6 favorites]
Yesterday was a good day! This morning is still pretty new but I bet it will also be good. Something good that happened yesterday is that I had my second to last day of treatment for the PTSD study. It is very hard, but it's amazing how different it feels afterwards ... like there was a stopper keeping just a little bit of my energy and attention and emotion diverted and bottled up and tense and distracted ... for ten years. And once I did the hard thing and said exactly what happened and what I needed to hear and the things I was afraid it meant about me, that all got released. It feels like there's a lot more space for the rest of me now.
So that is good.
posted by ChuraChura at 5:06 AM on November 8, 2019 [19 favorites]
So that is good.
posted by ChuraChura at 5:06 AM on November 8, 2019 [19 favorites]
This is going to sound weird, but today I walked out the proper front door of my building for the first time in I think two years.
(The front half of the "building" is commercial and has been under construction.)
posted by wellred at 5:07 AM on November 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
(The front half of the "building" is commercial and has been under construction.)
posted by wellred at 5:07 AM on November 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
My favorite local brewery opened a second taproom in town about five minutes from my house, and we went there for the first time last night. I drank a refreshingly tart beer called Purple Telescope that had loads of berry flavors and was the perfect thing to sip while writing my words for NaNoWriMo.
posted by PearlRose at 6:58 AM on November 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by PearlRose at 6:58 AM on November 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
Thank god It's Friday! Movie recommendation for a rainy weekend: About Time is a 2013 British romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Richard Curtis, and starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy. The film is about a young man with the ability to time travel who tries to change his past in hopes of improving his future.
posted by quotefinder.io at 7:35 AM on November 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by quotefinder.io at 7:35 AM on November 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
I love this topic! Thank you, Fizz.
Waking up to my snugglebug of a dog made me very happy this morning -- it always does. She isn't a morning person, so when my alarm goes off, she keeps her eyes closed, makes a little sleepy sound, and cuddles up even closer.
I've been texting with friends every day all day lately, and honestly, it's fun. I love sharing all the silly little things that we run up against through the day.
Made perogies and carrots/onions for dinner last night, and am having leftovers for lunch today. Already looking forward to it. I love the homey cozy stuff this time of year. Especially now that I'm running outside for brisk walks a few times every morning and night. It's so nice to come home and take off my jacket and feel my cheeks start warming up and snuggle into a homemade afghan to read a spooky book or put something in the oven, especially with Portia sleeping beside me or puttering around with her toys. That's my plan for tonight. For every night, if I can help it!
My dog also does this adorable thing -- when we get to our floor of the building, she RACES down the hall to our door. It's a very long hall and we're at the very end of it. She loves walks and running around outside, but she still gets so excited to go home and get cuddles and treats. Warms my heart.
And I dunno, I've just been feeling very clear headed and happy lately. It's been nice. I think spending so much time running around outside after my dog and all the lovely doggie cuddles are a big part of what has brought my mood up. Also, my dad has been helping me a ton with my dog and it has made our relationship so much better. And I've become closer with some friends over the past year and it's nice having that bubble of just fun and relaxation and love. And now with the elections having come through so well this week, that's a load off. But even beyond all that...I don't know...somehow I just feel like things are looking up.
posted by rue72 at 8:47 AM on November 8, 2019 [5 favorites]
Waking up to my snugglebug of a dog made me very happy this morning -- it always does. She isn't a morning person, so when my alarm goes off, she keeps her eyes closed, makes a little sleepy sound, and cuddles up even closer.
I've been texting with friends every day all day lately, and honestly, it's fun. I love sharing all the silly little things that we run up against through the day.
Made perogies and carrots/onions for dinner last night, and am having leftovers for lunch today. Already looking forward to it. I love the homey cozy stuff this time of year. Especially now that I'm running outside for brisk walks a few times every morning and night. It's so nice to come home and take off my jacket and feel my cheeks start warming up and snuggle into a homemade afghan to read a spooky book or put something in the oven, especially with Portia sleeping beside me or puttering around with her toys. That's my plan for tonight. For every night, if I can help it!
My dog also does this adorable thing -- when we get to our floor of the building, she RACES down the hall to our door. It's a very long hall and we're at the very end of it. She loves walks and running around outside, but she still gets so excited to go home and get cuddles and treats. Warms my heart.
And I dunno, I've just been feeling very clear headed and happy lately. It's been nice. I think spending so much time running around outside after my dog and all the lovely doggie cuddles are a big part of what has brought my mood up. Also, my dad has been helping me a ton with my dog and it has made our relationship so much better. And I've become closer with some friends over the past year and it's nice having that bubble of just fun and relaxation and love. And now with the elections having come through so well this week, that's a load off. But even beyond all that...I don't know...somehow I just feel like things are looking up.
posted by rue72 at 8:47 AM on November 8, 2019 [5 favorites]
@ratherbejorting, having a mechanical keyboard is something I truly cannot live without, going backwards to a chiclet style keyboard makes me shudder in horror. There's no going back from a mechanical, that tip-tap-click-clack is just so satisfying.
posted by Fizz at 9:41 AM on November 8, 2019
posted by Fizz at 9:41 AM on November 8, 2019
I used a Model M all through college and for a while after and I loved the feel and sound of it a lot, but at some point ergo stuff with typing all day got the point where I had to switch over to a Microsoft Natural. Which has been great for my tendonitis and I'm thoroughly used to the feel of the pretty soft, quiet key action, but I still miss that hardcore clickety clack.
I own a couple manual typewriters now and I get a little bit of occasional satisfaction that way, which feels like an okay compromise.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:54 AM on November 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
I own a couple manual typewriters now and I get a little bit of occasional satisfaction that way, which feels like an okay compromise.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:54 AM on November 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
@Cortex, you're probably aware but there have been a fair number of ergonomic mechanicals that have been released in the last few years (because of the mechanical keyboard trend/popularity). It might be worth searching to see if one meets your needs. I know there are a ton of options, including custom split mechanical keyboards. This looks like a good place to start for anyone interested.
posted by Fizz at 10:13 AM on November 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Fizz at 10:13 AM on November 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
I had What-a-burger for the first time today. They got our customized order totally correct with no issues at all (no onions for her, no bun for me), and it was really really tasty for fast food. A++ will do again.
(except they're no where near NC weep)
posted by joycehealy at 12:06 PM on November 8, 2019
(except they're no where near NC weep)
posted by joycehealy at 12:06 PM on November 8, 2019
OK, another installment of 'nangar, some random carpenter from Virginia, tries to learn Basque': The Bilbao rock band, Zea Mays, posted two more videos to Youtube this morning from their forthcoming album, Atera. Here's one of them, Hiri eri. They aren't regular music videos, but feature animated typography of the lyrics.
Here's some of what I understand so far: "The flowers are dying on me, and ideas are blossoming, stories, words and dark tales..." then a lot of stuff I don't understand, and then "descending from invented realities to the ground" and something about "the cord in my heart", and lots of other stuff I don't understand interspersed with glimmers of meaning from words and phrases I do understand.
I love this stage of trying to understand. I can see meanings shimmering in the dark, and I know if I keep going, I'll get there. Can y'all understand why I want to learn this language?
Ulertuko dut! Helduko naiz! I will understand! I will get there! I'm going to be spending a lot of time poking around dictionaries and probably grammars this weekend.
posted by nangar at 12:29 PM on November 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
Here's some of what I understand so far: "The flowers are dying on me, and ideas are blossoming, stories, words and dark tales..." then a lot of stuff I don't understand, and then "descending from invented realities to the ground" and something about "the cord in my heart", and lots of other stuff I don't understand interspersed with glimmers of meaning from words and phrases I do understand.
I love this stage of trying to understand. I can see meanings shimmering in the dark, and I know if I keep going, I'll get there. Can y'all understand why I want to learn this language?
Ulertuko dut! Helduko naiz! I will understand! I will get there! I'm going to be spending a lot of time poking around dictionaries and probably grammars this weekend.
posted by nangar at 12:29 PM on November 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
I’ve had a stressful and exhausting week - my mom’s “routine” surgery ended up unfinished with complications, when I heard I passed out not one but twice and spent the night in the ER, and have been building up a big presentation at work. But today mom is doing better (might go home tomorrow!), I’m healthy, the presentation is done, and so I’m laying on my couch in my big dinosaur onesie and I’ve got a pot of leftover soup heating on the stove. It seems pretty darn great at the moment!
posted by firei at 1:56 PM on November 8, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by firei at 1:56 PM on November 8, 2019 [4 favorites]
Yesterday was the initial day of building my little greenhouse potting shed structure. It is so far from perfect but it's going well. I cannot believe that it is happening; but after three years of collecting pieces and such, the structure is up. There will be so many more days of building, but I think the thing will be weathered in by the end of the weekend.
All of my tender plants are inside the house right now since we'll be near freezing tonight. It will be great to have somewhere to start seedlings and grow veggies over the winter. Yaaay!
posted by mightshould at 2:44 PM on November 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
All of my tender plants are inside the house right now since we'll be near freezing tonight. It will be great to have somewhere to start seedlings and grow veggies over the winter. Yaaay!
posted by mightshould at 2:44 PM on November 8, 2019 [1 favorite]
I caught the train with the announcer that sounds like Mr Moviefone. That always cheers me up because it reminds me of the Josie and the Pussycats movie, which I love (don't judge me).
posted by Kris10_b at 2:52 PM on November 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Kris10_b at 2:52 PM on November 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
I am making beef stew in a dutch oven. The house smells wonderful.
posted by Splunge at 3:51 PM on November 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Splunge at 3:51 PM on November 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
I had a laid back day at my job (a rarity!), an event I was dreading turned out to be fun, I spoke to someone I care about expecting bad news but got good news instead, and later braved the cold to go to a meeting/appointment to help me keep having good and hopefully even better days:)
posted by bquarters at 5:41 PM on November 8, 2019
posted by bquarters at 5:41 PM on November 8, 2019
I taught a whole bunch of Occupational Therapy students how to solder and make access switches in Montreal today. It was a good day.
posted by scruss at 5:53 PM on November 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by scruss at 5:53 PM on November 8, 2019 [3 favorites]
I was biking home today and stopped at an intersection crossing a small, but (relatively) busy street, which didn't have a light for pedestrians or cyclists. I didn't have particularly good sightlines and was kind of worried I'd be stuck there for a while. A van pulled up beside me and started creeping forward. I looked at the driver and he waved at me, and together we slowly crossed the intersection.
At the end of a week where I've had a number of negative interactions with drivers, I was happy to finish it off with a positive feeling instead. (Bonus: the commute was significantly more downhill after that. YAY COASTING)
posted by invokeuse at 10:26 PM on November 8, 2019 [5 favorites]
At the end of a week where I've had a number of negative interactions with drivers, I was happy to finish it off with a positive feeling instead. (Bonus: the commute was significantly more downhill after that. YAY COASTING)
posted by invokeuse at 10:26 PM on November 8, 2019 [5 favorites]
Around seven years ago my sister got a kitten named Apollo from a feral cat rescue place. He was a good cat and used to spend most of his time outside running around. Actually, a great cat, he never left squirrels or birds on the porch. Then he lost his mind.
My sister moved out of the big house on the acre lot he grew up on and moved into a dorm. It was family housing for the university but had a dorm vibe. They lived on the seventh floor and the front door went into a 100 meter hallway of doors that looked all the same and you had to take elevators to get up and down. Apollo seemed alright in the dorm but he was instantly forced into being a indoor cat. My sister only planned on living in the dorm for a few months while she was closing on a house.
Somebody burned a pizza and the fire alarm went off at 4am.
The fire alarm in the dorm goes off and it is incredibly loud. My sister gets her kids and the cat and her dog out into the hallway to figure out what to do. The hallway is packed with people and Apollo bails.
He is found a bit later and is never the same. Something snapped and he just hides under a bed until my sister moves. Then he just hides upstairs in their new house.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with neck/mouth cancer and was living by myself in a dreadful apartment. No real family that was local and was told I would have to go through radiation and chemo. I avoid Googling medical stuff since that usually tells you you have cancer. The ear, nose, throat doctor told me I did have cancer and the biopsy proved it. But I still don't Google medical stuff, I just email the radiologist now.
But I asked if I could start seeing doctors in the town my sister lives in for treatment. I imagined I was going to pretty much be unable to walk or anything during chemo, shitting in buckets. So once I started seeing doctors up here (I was taking the greyhound a few times a week while I was initially seeing the oral surgeon, radiologist, oncologist, swallowing coach, nutritionist, feeding tube person, and so on, so many doctors).. But then I told my sister I was going to move into her basement. She has a newly remodeled basement with a bathroom that was going unused. But yeah, I pretty much dropped the cancer bomb on her and was all, "radiation starts in a week, I'm moving in on Friday." We are tight, I was 99% sure she would be fine with this.
You might think I am horrible for keeping the cancer thing to myself until the last minute. But I actually had no idea what was going on so I kept it to myself since I didn't know what was going to happen. No reason to stress people out when I don't have any concrete info to share. Once I knew that radiation started on Monday at 8AM, feeding tube insertion at 10am, chemo at 1PM. Horrible Monday.... They threw everything at me on the first day.
But two months of mouth/neck radiation and weekly chemo and I am still here. I wasn't able to eat orally for six months. I would have surely died without the feeding tube. I wasn't able to even get water down.. And I also needed my sweet, sweet, Ativan that I put in the feeding tube. And oxy isn't even close to being the wildest opioid. If you have cancer you can get insane drugs, they hand them out like candy. I haven't taken any pills for a long time so don't worry.
But back to the cat. Apollo has pretty much been left upstairs (he will not go onto the main floor of the house) and one of my sisters twins has been taking care of him. But she graduated a few months ago and is barely home. So on Thursday I tried migrating him down into the basement with me.
I succeeded.
That is the only window so I tossed a old twin mattress on my bed so he could get up there and see some natural light and get some fresh air. Tomorrow I am getting some lumber and plan on building something permanent so he can be level with the windowsill. A nice little perch.
When chemo was bad I put 4K of woodworking tools on credit cards. Wasn't planning on needing to pay that back. But I am still alive so I have a pretty sweet table saw I can use to get my cat some natural light.
posted by johnpowell at 12:27 AM on November 9, 2019 [18 favorites]
My sister moved out of the big house on the acre lot he grew up on and moved into a dorm. It was family housing for the university but had a dorm vibe. They lived on the seventh floor and the front door went into a 100 meter hallway of doors that looked all the same and you had to take elevators to get up and down. Apollo seemed alright in the dorm but he was instantly forced into being a indoor cat. My sister only planned on living in the dorm for a few months while she was closing on a house.
Somebody burned a pizza and the fire alarm went off at 4am.
The fire alarm in the dorm goes off and it is incredibly loud. My sister gets her kids and the cat and her dog out into the hallway to figure out what to do. The hallway is packed with people and Apollo bails.
He is found a bit later and is never the same. Something snapped and he just hides under a bed until my sister moves. Then he just hides upstairs in their new house.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with neck/mouth cancer and was living by myself in a dreadful apartment. No real family that was local and was told I would have to go through radiation and chemo. I avoid Googling medical stuff since that usually tells you you have cancer. The ear, nose, throat doctor told me I did have cancer and the biopsy proved it. But I still don't Google medical stuff, I just email the radiologist now.
But I asked if I could start seeing doctors in the town my sister lives in for treatment. I imagined I was going to pretty much be unable to walk or anything during chemo, shitting in buckets. So once I started seeing doctors up here (I was taking the greyhound a few times a week while I was initially seeing the oral surgeon, radiologist, oncologist, swallowing coach, nutritionist, feeding tube person, and so on, so many doctors).. But then I told my sister I was going to move into her basement. She has a newly remodeled basement with a bathroom that was going unused. But yeah, I pretty much dropped the cancer bomb on her and was all, "radiation starts in a week, I'm moving in on Friday." We are tight, I was 99% sure she would be fine with this.
You might think I am horrible for keeping the cancer thing to myself until the last minute. But I actually had no idea what was going on so I kept it to myself since I didn't know what was going to happen. No reason to stress people out when I don't have any concrete info to share. Once I knew that radiation started on Monday at 8AM, feeding tube insertion at 10am, chemo at 1PM. Horrible Monday.... They threw everything at me on the first day.
But two months of mouth/neck radiation and weekly chemo and I am still here. I wasn't able to eat orally for six months. I would have surely died without the feeding tube. I wasn't able to even get water down.. And I also needed my sweet, sweet, Ativan that I put in the feeding tube. And oxy isn't even close to being the wildest opioid. If you have cancer you can get insane drugs, they hand them out like candy. I haven't taken any pills for a long time so don't worry.
But back to the cat. Apollo has pretty much been left upstairs (he will not go onto the main floor of the house) and one of my sisters twins has been taking care of him. But she graduated a few months ago and is barely home. So on Thursday I tried migrating him down into the basement with me.
I succeeded.
That is the only window so I tossed a old twin mattress on my bed so he could get up there and see some natural light and get some fresh air. Tomorrow I am getting some lumber and plan on building something permanent so he can be level with the windowsill. A nice little perch.
When chemo was bad I put 4K of woodworking tools on credit cards. Wasn't planning on needing to pay that back. But I am still alive so I have a pretty sweet table saw I can use to get my cat some natural light.
posted by johnpowell at 12:27 AM on November 9, 2019 [18 favorites]
Probably my best-laid plan: that time I took a programming workshop and thought, this would be really great for my own community if we adapted it in ways x, y, and z... and then eight months later I had an opportunity to do exactly that with a big group of collaborators, and seized it. The revamped workshop was successful enough this year that it'll be offered again next. Tomorrow, I'll be officially certified to teach it.
posted by eirias at 4:56 PM on November 10, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by eirias at 4:56 PM on November 10, 2019 [3 favorites]
NGL, I teared up. A close family member of mine was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer at the same time as Alex announced his diagnosis so perhaps this is overly personal for me.
posted by muddgirl at 10:55 PM on November 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by muddgirl at 10:55 PM on November 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by Fizz at 8:11 PM on November 6, 2019 [8 favorites]