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Lazy Sunday
Feb. 2nd, 2025 09:05 pmApparently, I used up my excess motivation for the weekend yesterday. I did a lot of resting today.
And tomorrow, it will be back to work, so being well-rested is good.
And tomorrow, it will be back to work, so being well-rested is good.
I felt better today than I have for a long time. I got up early to take K to rehearsal for the Winter Musical. Then I started working on paying the bills. The first load of laundry went in before I went to pick up K who had an early release today, after which the two of us went and got lunch.
The box of Liftoff to Landing has been refilled with the CDs that I grabbed for Confusion, while the rest of the box of CDs went back to the basement to their appropriate storages. The big box of new CDs is back in the garage now so it's no longer cluttering up the space around the kitchen table.
Three more loads of laundry have been finished and are waiting to be put away. And the bills are all paid now.
The website is now updated with the new song.
This is more activity than I've managed in a while. Now, I just need to get my voice back...
The box of Liftoff to Landing has been refilled with the CDs that I grabbed for Confusion, while the rest of the box of CDs went back to the basement to their appropriate storages. The big box of new CDs is back in the garage now so it's no longer cluttering up the space around the kitchen table.
Three more loads of laundry have been finished and are waiting to be put away. And the bills are all paid now.
The website is now updated with the new song.
This is more activity than I've managed in a while. Now, I just need to get my voice back...
Still Under the Weather
Jan. 28th, 2025 10:54 pmThis is one of the most darned persistent colds that I've had in a while. My voice is still shot and I am still coughing up crap, although the voice is better and the crap is less. I'm just tired and tired of it.
But it's improving! Right? :)
But it's improving! Right? :)
Recovering
Jan. 22nd, 2025 09:35 pmI am past the contagious stage on this damnable cold, but continuing to hack up a lung as I clear the crap out of my bronchi. It is as much fun as you can imagine. But I am still expecting to be at Confusion this weekend and am hoping my voice is worth a darn.
Tomorrow, the Comcast tech is supposed to show up. We'll see how this goes. :)
Tomorrow, the Comcast tech is supposed to show up. We'll see how this goes. :)
I'll Take Annoying Pain for $200, Alex
Jan. 21st, 2025 09:31 pmThose of you who have been following my current woes with Comcast may recall that I got an email from the Customer Care team promising a phone call. It arrived this morning and I spoke with a nice young man who told me that the box that I need is available in the Xfinity stores. I allowed as to how I didn't believe this, because the last time I had tried to get one there, they swore that they didn't stock them, but he claimed that things have changed. Maybe they have.
In the meantime, I had yet another box scheduled to arrive today, so when I got home from my doctor's appointment (about which there will be more later), I found the box on the porch, took it upstairs, opened it up, found that it was the *right* box, installed it, and...
It didn't work. *This* box would boot up but could not deliver a consistent signal out of the HDMI port, so it would flash the correct screen, then a blue screen, then a green screen, then a black screen. It wouldn't respond to the remote control, possibly related to the malfunction in the screen display. I rebooted it, switched to a different HDMI port, changed out the (working until then) HDMI cable, but nothing changed the behavior.
I had promised to call the nice young man at Comcast back whether this worked or not and so I did, describing the array of entertaining symptoms that *this* box showed. I suggested that their QA on repack boxes was not very good.
At this point, he has scheduled a technician to come out and visit (with the charge for the visit waived). The technician should bring the correct box (maybe) and will install it and get it working. If the technician's boxes are coming from the same cache that they are sending to me, I hope that he brings a *lot* of them, because the failure rate here is becoming notable.
In the meantime, I have reinstalled the HD box so that I have cable upstairs for the next couple of days.
Oh, right. Doctor's visit.
I had the follow up exam with my urologist following my lithotripsy six months ago. The earlier ultrasound showed that the kidney stone that had been 1.6 cm was now 0.8 cm. This is progress. His feeling was that we could try smashing it again or just keep an eye on it. My feeling was that was how the stone got to be 1.6 cm in the first place and -- since I am not getting any younger -- we should smash it sooner, rather than later.
So next month, I have an appointment for another round of lithotripsy.
Wish me luck!
In the meantime, I had yet another box scheduled to arrive today, so when I got home from my doctor's appointment (about which there will be more later), I found the box on the porch, took it upstairs, opened it up, found that it was the *right* box, installed it, and...
It didn't work. *This* box would boot up but could not deliver a consistent signal out of the HDMI port, so it would flash the correct screen, then a blue screen, then a green screen, then a black screen. It wouldn't respond to the remote control, possibly related to the malfunction in the screen display. I rebooted it, switched to a different HDMI port, changed out the (working until then) HDMI cable, but nothing changed the behavior.
I had promised to call the nice young man at Comcast back whether this worked or not and so I did, describing the array of entertaining symptoms that *this* box showed. I suggested that their QA on repack boxes was not very good.
At this point, he has scheduled a technician to come out and visit (with the charge for the visit waived). The technician should bring the correct box (maybe) and will install it and get it working. If the technician's boxes are coming from the same cache that they are sending to me, I hope that he brings a *lot* of them, because the failure rate here is becoming notable.
In the meantime, I have reinstalled the HD box so that I have cable upstairs for the next couple of days.
Oh, right. Doctor's visit.
I had the follow up exam with my urologist following my lithotripsy six months ago. The earlier ultrasound showed that the kidney stone that had been 1.6 cm was now 0.8 cm. This is progress. His feeling was that we could try smashing it again or just keep an eye on it. My feeling was that was how the stone got to be 1.6 cm in the first place and -- since I am not getting any younger -- we should smash it sooner, rather than later.
So next month, I have an appointment for another round of lithotripsy.
Wish me luck!
Cough, Cough
Jan. 20th, 2025 10:11 pmK brought a cold back from Theaterfest last weekend. She was feeling better by the Ball State visit (and had earlier visited a doc who said it was neither Covid nor the flu, which is good), but it turns out that I was just coming down with it then. I have spent most of the weekend with a hacking cough and resting, because I am hoping to feel much better for my planned trip to Confusion next weekend.
Fingers crossed!
Fingers crossed!
Congratulations! You have won and achieved your goal of taking control of my child's medical needs, no matter what they or their parents might believe.
I scheduled the PCR test for K that is required for her to go to OVFF without getting a COVID booster which is of dubious value for teenagers. I took time off from work today to take her to Walgreens to take the PCR test, which was going to cost us $99.99, because it is not covered by our insurance.
They did not actually *have* the test kit, because -- unsurprisingly! -- there is apparently no demand whatsoever in the real world to pay $99.99 for a PCR test. Much like the famous Seinfeld episode, they are good at *taking* the reservation; they just aren't actually good at *administering* the test.
They offered to try to find a Walgreens *somewhere* that had the test in stock. No telling where. No telling *when*. And the test has to be administered today in order to receive the results on a timely basis because the PCR test requires 48 hours to get the results back.
I gave up. I submitted to your demands. And I asked my child if they were willing to take the booster shot and they said it would be ok.
And so they have taken the vaccine, against our and her better judgement, because the little gauntlet that you set up to be run turned out to be a choice that didn't actually exist.
K has a lot of things that she needs to finish before we leave for the con. Hopefully, she will not have any of the minor (or major) bad reactions to the vaccine and will be able to complete them on a timely basis. Tonight, she's running the livestream camera for a band concert. Thursday, she'll be in a concert with the chorus. Somewhere in between, we need to send her college essay off to her Uncle Jeff to give a quick once over, because if there's a professional editor in the family, it's sort of stupid not to take advantage of it.
There's a word that many of you like to throw around, despite having zero clue about what it actually means. And that's the word that I'm thinking right now, although I know that it's the wrong word.
There's a better word to describe this. I know exactly what it is.
But I don't plan to be using it right now.
I scheduled the PCR test for K that is required for her to go to OVFF without getting a COVID booster which is of dubious value for teenagers. I took time off from work today to take her to Walgreens to take the PCR test, which was going to cost us $99.99, because it is not covered by our insurance.
They did not actually *have* the test kit, because -- unsurprisingly! -- there is apparently no demand whatsoever in the real world to pay $99.99 for a PCR test. Much like the famous Seinfeld episode, they are good at *taking* the reservation; they just aren't actually good at *administering* the test.
They offered to try to find a Walgreens *somewhere* that had the test in stock. No telling where. No telling *when*. And the test has to be administered today in order to receive the results on a timely basis because the PCR test requires 48 hours to get the results back.
I gave up. I submitted to your demands. And I asked my child if they were willing to take the booster shot and they said it would be ok.
And so they have taken the vaccine, against our and her better judgement, because the little gauntlet that you set up to be run turned out to be a choice that didn't actually exist.
K has a lot of things that she needs to finish before we leave for the con. Hopefully, she will not have any of the minor (or major) bad reactions to the vaccine and will be able to complete them on a timely basis. Tonight, she's running the livestream camera for a band concert. Thursday, she'll be in a concert with the chorus. Somewhere in between, we need to send her college essay off to her Uncle Jeff to give a quick once over, because if there's a professional editor in the family, it's sort of stupid not to take advantage of it.
There's a word that many of you like to throw around, despite having zero clue about what it actually means. And that's the word that I'm thinking right now, although I know that it's the wrong word.
There's a better word to describe this. I know exactly what it is.
But I don't plan to be using it right now.
Vaccination Blues
Sep. 21st, 2024 10:55 pmYesterday, I got a COVID booster and this year's flu vaccine. And yesterday, I felt pretty good.
My arm was a little sore this morning, but that was ok. I went out and got some lunch. Then I headed to Mariano's to pick up an assortment of groceries, including some steaks (on sale!) to grill tonight. It was while I was staring at the canned soup that my battery ran out.
I had managed to majorly irritate my sore right heel at the Cubs games on Tuesday and Thursday and managed to annoy my left knee while protecting the heel. Between this and the vaccines, I was so done. I finished up shopping, came home, collapsed in my chair and got nothing else done today, save for bringing in some of the groceries and grilling the steaks. (And the steaks needed to have a new bag of charcoal hauled in from the garage and loaded into the bin on the patio, because I'd finished off the previous bag previously.)
Ruby was annoyed with me, because I was avoiding throwing the ball for her. Her torn ACL has been bothering her sporadically and I didn't want to make it worse. She forgave us when we gave her the bones from the steaks.
Anyway, tomorrow I expect to feel better and get something done. I'm not sure *what*, but *something*. :)
My arm was a little sore this morning, but that was ok. I went out and got some lunch. Then I headed to Mariano's to pick up an assortment of groceries, including some steaks (on sale!) to grill tonight. It was while I was staring at the canned soup that my battery ran out.
I had managed to majorly irritate my sore right heel at the Cubs games on Tuesday and Thursday and managed to annoy my left knee while protecting the heel. Between this and the vaccines, I was so done. I finished up shopping, came home, collapsed in my chair and got nothing else done today, save for bringing in some of the groceries and grilling the steaks. (And the steaks needed to have a new bag of charcoal hauled in from the garage and loaded into the bin on the patio, because I'd finished off the previous bag previously.)
Ruby was annoyed with me, because I was avoiding throwing the ball for her. Her torn ACL has been bothering her sporadically and I didn't want to make it worse. She forgave us when we gave her the bones from the steaks.
Anyway, tomorrow I expect to feel better and get something done. I'm not sure *what*, but *something*. :)
An Injured Dog
Jul. 20th, 2024 10:23 pmRuby the Dog has been limping a bit recently off and on. Gretchen took her to the vet the other day for shots and had her checked out.
It turns out that Ruby has had a tear in her ACL in one leg for a long time. It had apparently healed up, but was recently aggravated and is causing the limping, which is extremely variable.
So the first line of treatment here is to see if it will heal up again. That seems reasonable.
All we have to do is get her to relax and take it easy.
And not run.
Oh. For a dog who likes nothing better in the world than running after the ball.
This is going to be tricky...
It turns out that Ruby has had a tear in her ACL in one leg for a long time. It had apparently healed up, but was recently aggravated and is causing the limping, which is extremely variable.
So the first line of treatment here is to see if it will heal up again. That seems reasonable.
All we have to do is get her to relax and take it easy.
And not run.
Oh. For a dog who likes nothing better in the world than running after the ball.
This is going to be tricky...
After the Vacation
Jul. 18th, 2024 05:46 pmThis morning, it was 12 days since we returned from our vacation. And as of today, I am down 15 pounds from when I weighed in on the morning after we got back.
That is actually less impressive than it sounds, because most of that weight (if not all of it) was water. We drove from Chicago, where we have really great drinking water, down to the great Southwest of the U.S., staying near Fort Worth, Texas; then Phoenix, Arizona; and then in Anaheim, California. These places all have one thing in common that I really notice:
The drinking water is salty. Sometimes, it is because the water is being softened. Sometimes, it is just brine. But none of the water compares to what I get from my tap where the water originates in Lake Michigan. And taking in all of that extra salt means that I hold extra water.
This was complicated by the fact that any day that I was driving (and there were a *lot* of those), I couldn't take my diuretic, because taking a diuretic when on the highway means that you will never get where you are going, because of all the places where you will be going. The diuretic (among other things) helps deal with the fact that the lymph circulation in my left leg is shot after the knee ligament replacement and subsequent post-op infection.
When I am carrying that much extra water around with me, my legs know it.
But time has passed, the diuretic has done its good work, and things are more or less back to normal.
Fifteen pounds (or so) of water.
Sheesh.
That is actually less impressive than it sounds, because most of that weight (if not all of it) was water. We drove from Chicago, where we have really great drinking water, down to the great Southwest of the U.S., staying near Fort Worth, Texas; then Phoenix, Arizona; and then in Anaheim, California. These places all have one thing in common that I really notice:
The drinking water is salty. Sometimes, it is because the water is being softened. Sometimes, it is just brine. But none of the water compares to what I get from my tap where the water originates in Lake Michigan. And taking in all of that extra salt means that I hold extra water.
This was complicated by the fact that any day that I was driving (and there were a *lot* of those), I couldn't take my diuretic, because taking a diuretic when on the highway means that you will never get where you are going, because of all the places where you will be going. The diuretic (among other things) helps deal with the fact that the lymph circulation in my left leg is shot after the knee ligament replacement and subsequent post-op infection.
When I am carrying that much extra water around with me, my legs know it.
But time has passed, the diuretic has done its good work, and things are more or less back to normal.
Fifteen pounds (or so) of water.
Sheesh.
Motion Sickness
Jul. 10th, 2024 09:24 pmErica and Steve recommended the (now old) Portal video games when we were visiting them. K discovered that the bundle of both games was available on Steam for $1.50. I bought them for her.
Then I bought them for myself.
Ten minutes of play left me severely motion sick.
Oh, well. It was only $1.50.
Then I bought them for myself.
Ten minutes of play left me severely motion sick.
Oh, well. It was only $1.50.
Oh, Look! It's Friday!
Jun. 7th, 2024 10:46 pmThose of you who are keeping score will not be surprised that OptumRX has once again canceled my prescription order after sending me a text telling me that they were shipping it. That makes the score OptumRX 3, Actual Delivery of Prescription 0. This is clearly a system designed by Mordak, the Preventer of Information Services.
I have about a week to finish things up before I go on vacation. This is not *nearly* enough time.
Consuming *some* of the time before I go on vacation is Picnicon, as ISFiC's annual picnic returns after four years off for COVID. That will be Sunday at Maplewood Park in Deerfield and we'd like to know if you're coming, so drop by the ISFiC website and let us know.
I posted this earlier today with a link to the Picnicon page, but Facebook removed my post. That makes the score there Fraudulent Paid Ads an unimaginably large number (perhaps a Google?), My Attempt To Do Something For My Not-For-Profit Group 0.
Meanwhile, we continue burning through season nine of "Suits". Only four episodes remain...
We are now considering checking out "Fairly Legal" on Peacock, but probably not until we get back from vacation. :)
I have about a week to finish things up before I go on vacation. This is not *nearly* enough time.
Consuming *some* of the time before I go on vacation is Picnicon, as ISFiC's annual picnic returns after four years off for COVID. That will be Sunday at Maplewood Park in Deerfield and we'd like to know if you're coming, so drop by the ISFiC website and let us know.
I posted this earlier today with a link to the Picnicon page, but Facebook removed my post. That makes the score there Fraudulent Paid Ads an unimaginably large number (perhaps a Google?), My Attempt To Do Something For My Not-For-Profit Group 0.
Meanwhile, we continue burning through season nine of "Suits". Only four episodes remain...
We are now considering checking out "Fairly Legal" on Peacock, but probably not until we get back from vacation. :)
Round and Round
Jun. 6th, 2024 10:29 pmAs I was finishing up work today, I got a text from OptumRX. It said that my order (for which they have twice sent me texts claiming that it was going to ship) is being processed and will arrive between May 28th and May 31st.
I was unaware that I had a prescription for resublimated thiotimoline, but I guess I'll have to wait and see.
I was unaware that I had a prescription for resublimated thiotimoline, but I guess I'll have to wait and see.
My urologist removed the stent today. I am very happy. This was not particularly painful at all, so as we discussed either my tolerance for pain is high or I have a better urologist. :) It looks like there is some remaining kidney stone, so I have a follow up appointment in six months to see how things are. In any case, there is a lot *less* kidney stone.
We have finished season eight of "Suits" tonight, which means that we only have 10 episodes left. The end is near.
We will *not* be making progress on this tomorrow, because I am going to see the Cubs / Sox game now that Mr. Stent has left the building.
We have finished season eight of "Suits" tonight, which means that we only have 10 episodes left. The end is near.
We will *not* be making progress on this tomorrow, because I am going to see the Cubs / Sox game now that Mr. Stent has left the building.
Taking Pictures
Jun. 3rd, 2024 10:46 pmToday was pretty thoroughly disrupted, as I needed to run out and get an X-ray preparatory to having my kidney stent removed tomorrow. Tomorrow will be disrupted by the removal of the kidney stent. (I hope.)
And then maybe things will settle down for a bit.
We'll see.
And then maybe things will settle down for a bit.
We'll see.
Progress Report
May. 29th, 2024 10:17 pmIt is now less than a week until I'm scheduled to get the kidney stent removed following my lithotripsy adventure. I am *greatly* looking forward to this.
Today was, sadly, a pain.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel! :)
Today was, sadly, a pain.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel! :)
Other Plans
May. 25th, 2024 11:07 pmI ran out and grabbed some lunch today, picking up lunch for K on the circuit. When I got home, Gretchen took Julie out for a drive, so I figured this was a good time to run down to the basement, download the Luna for Windows Beta, and take a good look at it.
Well, I downloaded it. And I took a look at it. But it rapidly became clear that something that I ate yesterday was disagreeing with me, as I made three trips upstairs while trying to investigate the program. I finally decided that the better part of valor was to *stay* upstairs.
But I went out on the patio on what was an absolutely *beautiful* spring day and threw the ball, and the rope, and the squid for Ruby the Dog, which made *her* very happy. At least until I got the squid stuck in the maple tree and had to get a stick to get it down with...
All things considered, I didn't really need to learn a lot about Luna, since I'm pretty firmly committed to Cubase and should do some work there.
When I came back in, I pulled out the GS Mini and spent some time noodling on it. This was also good.
And then we all went out to meet Aunt Carol for dinner, which was *also* good.
Then we came home, where I caught the end of tonight's Cubs / Cards game, where the Cardinals scored a bunch of late runs and ended up winning 7-6. Which was yet *again* good.
So, you know.
It was a *really* good day. :)
Well, I downloaded it. And I took a look at it. But it rapidly became clear that something that I ate yesterday was disagreeing with me, as I made three trips upstairs while trying to investigate the program. I finally decided that the better part of valor was to *stay* upstairs.
But I went out on the patio on what was an absolutely *beautiful* spring day and threw the ball, and the rope, and the squid for Ruby the Dog, which made *her* very happy. At least until I got the squid stuck in the maple tree and had to get a stick to get it down with...
All things considered, I didn't really need to learn a lot about Luna, since I'm pretty firmly committed to Cubase and should do some work there.
When I came back in, I pulled out the GS Mini and spent some time noodling on it. This was also good.
And then we all went out to meet Aunt Carol for dinner, which was *also* good.
Then we came home, where I caught the end of tonight's Cubs / Cards game, where the Cardinals scored a bunch of late runs and ended up winning 7-6. Which was yet *again* good.
So, you know.
It was a *really* good day. :)
Incompetent Systems
May. 22nd, 2024 10:05 pmOptumRX distinguished themselves tonight.
I got a text from them saying that I should expect my Mounjaro to arrive no later than May 16th. When I went to take my shot tonight, I realized that the Mounjaro had not arrived. I checked and there was no update from them on my text messages, so I went to the website and discovered that they had decided not to ship the prescription for some unspecified reason.
But I could request a call back. And I did. The rep informed me that the Mounjaro was out of stock and they didn't know when they would ship it, so they had canceled the order.
I suggested that canceling the order without informing me was bad practice and that they had lied to me, because they had told me that they were going to ship the order and then had proceeded not to do so.
Then I asked her how I could file a complaint about this.
She transferred me to United Parcel Service.
I have called again and spoken to another rep. I have been given another phone number to call and complain to.
I tried dialing it tonight in case anyone was there and got a FAX machine.
If I get a FAX machine tomorrow, I will be *very* unhappy.
I got a text from them saying that I should expect my Mounjaro to arrive no later than May 16th. When I went to take my shot tonight, I realized that the Mounjaro had not arrived. I checked and there was no update from them on my text messages, so I went to the website and discovered that they had decided not to ship the prescription for some unspecified reason.
But I could request a call back. And I did. The rep informed me that the Mounjaro was out of stock and they didn't know when they would ship it, so they had canceled the order.
I suggested that canceling the order without informing me was bad practice and that they had lied to me, because they had told me that they were going to ship the order and then had proceeded not to do so.
Then I asked her how I could file a complaint about this.
She transferred me to United Parcel Service.
I have called again and spoken to another rep. I have been given another phone number to call and complain to.
I tried dialing it tonight in case anyone was there and got a FAX machine.
If I get a FAX machine tomorrow, I will be *very* unhappy.
