Month: December 2018

48F and wet. A dreary end for a dreary year.

Last day of the year. We no longer go out, too many amateurs on the road, and too many kids at home…. I won’t be able to sleep until I see that we got through another Times Square Ball Drop without an attack. It’s just the way I’m wired.

To my mind, that’s the biggest target in the US. Much more visible than a building or concert. No way it can be adequately secured. Every year I’m grateful when it’s over. This year, all it would take is a dozen people infecting revelers who go home to infect others… and you have The Night When Everything Changed ™.

Enough gloom for this morning.

I was dreaming about using reanimated dead people as fighter pilots, and attack helicopter pilots and that was fine. But when I thought of using them as restaurant workers, my sleeping brain went “That’s not right!” Strange way to wake up, and it set my mood.

But the normal rhythms of life call, breakfast needs cooking, wife and kids need feeding. Those are the things that tie us here, don’t let them pass unnoticed.

n

46F and saturated. Good thing I don’t want to take down the decorations yet, they won’t dry in this weather.

Did I mention that I ate the two oranges I got off the tree this year? Tasty, but almost/kinda/soon to be woody. So I waited a bit too long. I don’t know if they were too long on the tree, or in the fridge. Hopefully we’ll see next year.

Got a tiny bit of stuff done. Replaced the tail light bulbs in my Expy. The right side burned out, so I changed them both, and the reverse lights while I was there. Took some scrap metal to the scrapper. LOTS more just waiting for the time and weather…

I dropped my phone again and got some more little cracks in the corner. The digitizer is starting to lose accuracy, so I think I might have to replace it. It’s the Samsung S7 (non-‘splody version). It is showing its age after a bunch of updates with some increased lag, and the battery isn’t lasting as long. I don’t really want to go thru the whole phone search again, don’t want anything bigger, or much smaller, don’t want wrap around edges, and WILL be buying a case this time. New old stock of the same phone is very cheap, but that won’t solve the bloat and lag issue.

ATT fiber continues to suck. It goes down several times a day. Usually only for a minute or two, but that breaks streaming. It happens often enough that it breaks my pages reloading when I’m just messing around reading sites. It’s fast. But not stable.

Unrelated, but I use Kodi on a SFF pc to watch youtube in bed on the TV. It works well and has a decent interface. BUT on weekends, especially late at night, it runs out of whatever licensing scheme it uses to connect to youtube, and youtube refuses the connections, saying it will reset at midnight Pacific time. There is a workaround involving signing up as a developer, getting your own keys from youtube, then installing those keys on Kodi, but it’s a pain. WTF does youtube gain by limiting connections? I usually just read or close my eyes early when it happens but it is puzzling.

Along with everything else, it’s time to start thinking about my garden, and getting the beds ready. More manure. More soil. Some veg seeds. Beyond that, I haven’t a clue yet.

And I should get this up and the kids fed,

n

51F and grey out. Yesterday was grey most of the afternoon with scattered showers. Every bayou I crossed was swollen with runoff.

Sleep glorious sleep! I feel like $100 bucks. If only I could keep my bladder from waking me, I could sleep like the dead.

Mixed bag today. I should go see a client and give them an invoice. They’d like to have the expense in this year, I’d like to get paid. Just a couple of niggling little networking issues remaining.

Well, kids to feed, sick wife to minister to. Better get going.

Keep stacking, nothing has changed for the better and the cracks are showing…

n

46F and slightly below saturated…we finally got some blue sky late in the day yesterday. We’re forecast to be on the edge of the bad weather today. We’ll see.

I’ve going to do some work for a client this morning, and make a trip to the airport later in the afternoon, so I’ll be hopping all day.

Last work day of the year and I’m working. Huh, who’da thunk it?

n

55F and drizzle. Or grey yuck.

Feeling much better after a night’s sleep. Slept in until 8am. Fed the kids cereal. Back hurts, but that is normal for a couple extra hours in bed, and a dreary cold and damp morning.

Only a couple more days left in this year. NOW it feels like it’s taking forever. Funny how subjective time is.

Now it’s time for me to start my day. (Nice segue huh?)

What’s on your minds at the close of the year?

n

Probably somewhere in the 60s and damp, but I’m writing this early so who knows. It’s probably not 89F though.

Meant to get to sleep, but wasn’t really tired. Read the fourth book in Horton’s series about the collapse after the terror attacks, his Borrowed World books. Read the whole book. Probably shouldn’t have started it at 11pm, but I didn’t really think it would suck me in. It did. His writing continues to improve.

And I miss my dad. I’ve been skirting the issue most of the last couple of days, but it caught up with me. I’d turn a corner and expect him to be calling to me with a question or suggestion. So I kinda didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts in bed. Caught me anyway, and now it’s 4am… and I’m still not sleepy. Tired, but not sleepy.

Duty calls however. Kids, wife, and guest will all be up in a few hours and want breakfast. That’s the daddy’s job, at least here and now. I better try and get some sleep or I’m gonna be one unhappy, grumpy camper.

n

Probably chilly and damp…

Posting this late on the Eve, so not positive.

Got all the stuff for Christmas morning done. Late night. Too much sugar and nogg.

My sincere best wishes for Peace, Hope, and Love on this day to everyone reading these words.

I know Robert wasn’t religious or sentimental, but I think Christmas is one of the special days no matter your beliefs. Even from a purely secular approach it’s a fun day and important to our shared culture and mythos.

And hey, simply saying “Merry Christmas” puts a thumb in the eye of people who need thumbin’…

Enjoy the day, enjoy the people you love, raise a glass to absent friends.

nick flandrey

50F sunny, and 80%RH.

Last chance to get presents, grocery shop, or set up your air defense battery and poison carrots…..

Dang kids. On a school day I can’t pry them out of be with a crowbar, rope, and a mule. Today, they are up and out of bed without prompting at 6am. I’m left to snooze for another couple hours, but don’t actually feel rested.

I still have some wrapping to do, some shopping for side dishes for tomorrow, and a bit more cleaning up. The reindeer bait needs to be made too…

Seriously though, if the holidays are tough for you, call someone. If you have a little voice tell you to check in on someone, do it. Don’t put it off for later.

I sincerely hope that everyone can find a bit of the peace and hopefulness of the season,

nick

57F and sunny. 72%RH which is the driest it’s been in a month.

The kids are sure today is a holiday with presents. Nope.

I have wrapped one present so far. I’ve got many left to go.

Time to feed the family though, then more work to clean up and get the house presentable for the holidays….

n

56F and just slightly less than saturated, but the sun is out…

My wife reminded me last night that Christmas Eve is 3 days away. That might as well be tomorrow. Time has been moving very trickily for me lately. It has not been a smooth flow, but piles up in front like waves in the carpet, then I jump from peak to peak.

I’ve got STUFF to do! I’m not ready!

n