Nobody is Promised Tomorrow. . .
This Blog started in 2001 as a Trip Log to record a summer in Alaska. Since then, it has morphed into my online diary.
No reason at all to post anything today. Just force of habit.
Grateful that my hands are still free of arthritis and I can still do origami.
As I mentioned. It’s a slow news day around the Old Bat’s Cave.
And for the most part, no news is a good thing. And, it’s Friday and Happy Hour.
Today was a fine mellow laid back finest kind day for me. Major accomplishment as taking some clothes to the thrift shop. And that gave me a nice leisurely 3 mile walk. And I had a lovely peach for lunch. And you know what girls and boys? When you are somewhere between 80 and dead – that makes for a good day.
This orchid is blooming for a second time this year. I did threaten it about a year ago. I told it if it didn’t bloom this year it was headed for the compost bin. But, it bloomed spectacularly all winter long. I wasn’t expecting it to bloom twice. My oldest orchid plant is also blooming for a second time. Who knows what’s up in orchid land.
However, the fine day was squandered on meetings. My fault. I wanted to see the CFO explain our budget for next year. And, now and then I go to the IT Committee meeting and to help keep them between the navigational beacons.
During the meetings, I folded paper.
Saw this in the paper a couple of days ago. How much some of Elon Musk’s friends are down on their Twitter “investment”.
I don’t know about you, but I would hate to be responsible for someone named Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al Saud losing 1.4 BILLION. He most likely has people who have scimitars.
Can not hear the planes taking off from National Airport. Where I lived nine years ago, most mornings when the windows were opened I could. In theory, planes cannot take off until 6am. But, I think they are taxing down the runway and ready to go wheels up at exactly 6am.
A splendid “pre” autumn day. With cake for breakfast. What’s not to love?
The Executive Director of The Asylum resigned today. Two weeks notice. That seems a little strange. I will always be grateful to him for getting me a new fridge during the Covid supply chain problems days. This is how I’ll remember him. Stalag 2020 – day 77 of xx.
I had a fine Labor Day. A personal old lady best: I covered my 1 mile in 18minutes and 2 seconds today. This is not a track mile, but a real sidewalk mile with a hill. But no streets to cross.
Did a very little work for my office that I keep trying to retire from.
And cleaned up the Origami Dojo.
I didn’t just tidy it up. I consigned many odds and ends and old models to the recycle bin. That’s the good thing about origami. No disposal problem. I imagine it would be harder if my hobby were blacksmithing.
And, I spent a wonderful 90 minutes watching a 1982 talk that Grace Hopper gave at the NSA. NSA recently declassified the talk, managed to process the obsolete tape, and posted it on YouTube. (NSA posted the videos as they were recorded, as two tapes. Black Vault Originals packaged them into a single video. It was a single lecture. I am using Black Vault’s version here.)
Admiral Hopper must have been almost 80 at the time of the recording. I don’t imagine most of my readers will devote 90 minutes to watching. But, it’s vintage Grace Hopper. And great computer history.
And how exactly did it get to be September already? When you are old sometimes the days and especially the nights are incredibly long, but the months and years zip by all too quickly.
Grateful for my orchids.
The Old Bat’s Cave is much friendly with orchids. (The orchids were in the kitchen getting their weekly watering.)
Wandering around miscellaneous folders on my computer today. Found this crappy scanned snapshot.
Damn, we had a great life. I think that was about 40 years ago. We bummed around French Polynesia and Cook Islands for a winter. That is when Carlton decided that he really didn’t want to work any more. (Now, I never thought that he worked. Programmers worked. Senior Management just got in the way.)
I had my earplugs in last night, so I didn’t heard any police activity or crash. But, when I look out the window there were cops and flashing lights. It could have been someone leaving our building who ran into the fence. But the elderly aren’t usually in their cars between dusk and dawn.
Grateful for the Old Bat’s Cave. Coming up on my 9th year in residence.
It’s not all wonderful at The Asylum. The grounds, the part that management maintains, has never looked worse. The residents maintain some of the grounds and that part looks great. But the part that is management’s responsibility is overrun with weeds.
The long waiting list for The Asylum (over 900 people) may explain why management is less attentive to details like weeds.
On a happier note. Planning my trip to Kona. Thinking about taking the train to Seattle. And flying from there. Seems like riding the train is about all that my elderly body is up to these days. I know Seattle pretty well. I would enjoy a few days just chilling.
I gave myself the day off. And once again I am reminded of the telegram that President Lincoln sent to General McClellan on October 25, 1862: I have just read your dispatch about sore tongued and fatiegued [sic] horses. Will you pardon me for asking what the horses of your army have done since the battle of Antietam that fatigue anything?
Just what have I done to deserve a “day off”? Aren’t all of my days “off”?
I am trying not to think about the upcoming election. Frankly, I am terrified. If the good guys win, all hell breaks loose. And if the other side wins, totalitarianism reigns. Things have been this bad before in our history. I just didn’t think it would happen again in my lifetime. And there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I am not sure there is anything anyone can do. The current insanity will burn itself out. With considerable damage, I fear.
At least my old age isn’t boring. I am boring. My life is boring. But, outside of my self-imposed bubble, it isn’t boring. It’s terrifying.
Grateful that my brain can still use VLOOKUP and AVERAGEIFS in Excel. This is not to say that my brain can remember the names of my next-door neighbors.
Happy Hour. Soon.
I decided on a longer slower walk this morning. (Since my trip to Urgent Care, I have been faithful about getting in a good cardio walk every morning before breakfast.)
Yesterday’s weather was all about Hot Hot Hot. It is a cool and balmy 91° this afternoon. All of my devices started warning me about thunderstorms and flooding. I don’t worry much about flooding since the Old Bat’s Cave is on the 11th floor. And thunderstorms happen in the summer.
Grateful to Willis Haviland Carrier (1876 – 1950) who invented the first electrical air conditioning unit in 1902.
Mostly stayed inside today. Did a couple of hours of work for my hospital. Nothing too hard. It didn’t interfere with nap time.
How about some food pictures from Hakodate?
Wish I were back in Hakodate.
No complaints. Wouldn’t do any good to complain anyhow.
Decided to fold some paper during a meeting this afternoon. I consider it advertising. It’s not easy to sell scraps of paper. Even for a good cause.
Mostly I folded and refolded paper today. I got the 30-unit version together.
Glad that I didn’t have to put it in the recycle bin. But, I can not imagine that anyone will actually buy it. Or any of them for that matter. I paid $4.95 Canadian for that paper last fall. And the paper did make an interesting 30-unit Sonobe.
Here are 3,6 and 12-unit models. There are also 90, 120, and 270-unit models. But the 30-unit model is the largest I have attempted. And I think that’s enough.
And, I think the 12-unit balls will do very nicely for the sale.