Bill Roper's Journal

Meat!

2026-05-30T22:49:26Z

I am sure that this is something that a lot of you already knew. But *we* didn't know it, so maybe this will be of use to some of you.

I like beef stroganoff. Given the price of beef lately, we've had some hamburger stroganoff instead, which can be tasty, but which just isn't the same.

Gretchen agreed that I could go ahead and pick up some sirloin steak when I went to Sam's Club for use in stroganoff. Yay! And I discovered that sirloin steak was $12 per pound. Boo! And then I saw the top sirloin steaks for $8 per pound and said, "Well, that ought to work. Probably."

When I got home, Gretchen explained that one of the problems that she has with any recipe that requires strips of cooked beef is that the beef tends to come out dry and tough. I, however, am Internet Boy with superior Google-fu, so I figured I'd go run an Internet search and see what I found.

There were two tricks here. First, make sure that you cut your strips of meat across the grain. The grain on the top sirloin steaks was very apparent, so that was easy to manage.

Second, you want to use about 3/4 teaspoon per pound of baking soda, plus a few tablespoons of water, which you add to the cut meat, massage it in, and then let it sit for 15-30 minutes before rinsing it well to remove the baking soda, and then patting it dry before it hits the skillet. Once the meat is nicely browned, you remove it to a separate bowl while making the stroganoff sauce and then throw it back in.

Gretchen cut the meat. I handled the baking soda steps and gave it back to her rinsed. Gretchen finished the job.

The meat was lovely, tender, and tasty.

I had never heard of this baking soda trick before. Half of the rinsed meat went into the freezer for later use, so we'll see how it does after freezing.

But this was a good thing to learn. :)

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Bright Tomorrow

2026-05-30T03:25:43Z

I jammed up badly on songwriting at the beginning of the year. I'm not sure why.

I *know* why I jammed up on songwriting at the end of March. Being laid off and cleaning up the resulting messes took a *lot* of my attention.

I appear to be ready to write things again. We'll see how it goes.

In the case of this song, I managed to write the *song* -- I just couldn't figure out what to call it. I emailed the lyrics to Erica and she suggested "Bright Tomorrow". So here we are.

I hope you like it!
( Lyrics inside... )

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Medicared

2026-05-28T16:48:30Z

Yay! I finally have my Medicare number which means that I can go to my scheduled doctor's appointment next Tuesday. (I could *go* to the appointment without it, but getting it *paid* for would be another question altogether.)

This afternoon, I will get to work on those appeals...

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Find Your Puppy

2026-05-27T21:51:33Z

This is best characterized as being Debbie Gates' fault.

First, she *also* has a new puppy. Second, she put "Find Your People" into her FilkONtario concert set, a song that Gretchen was already familiar with and likes a lot.

The combination gave Gretchen the idea for this song. And now we have all the parts for it.

I hope you like it!
( Lyrics inside... )

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Financial Stuff

2026-05-27T02:49:11Z

The check for my 401k rollover arrived today, so I ran it out to my financial advisor's office so it could be deposited into my rollover IRA. Having that done is a great relief, because doing this via check rather than via EFT seems, well, dumb. But done it is.

We also discussed locating some more money, because I am going to hemorrhage cash this month for a variety of reasons. That's being done.

Tomorrow, I have to run Julie to the bank to open a checking account so that she has a place to direct deposit the paycheck from her summer job. Today, Julie aced her pre-exam to get her learner's permit, which means that actual practice driving is going to start soon.

And then I have to fill out an appeal to file with Social Security / Medicare so that my Medicare premiums are based on what I am making while retired instead of based on what I was making when I was actually employed.

I miss coding. It was *much* more relaxing.

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One Project at a Time

2026-05-26T02:13:07Z

K removed the masking tape in her room, which meant that we could proceed with the installation of the "new" blinds which were actually purchased in late 2009 and which were never installed for reasons. (There is still a lot of paint that escaped the masking that needs to be cleaned up, but I am trying to decide that is not my problem.)

With some help from K, I managed to get the new blinds installed and only forgot to install *one* of the two trim pieces. Removing the first blind to install the trim is looking like more work than I feel like doing right now, so we will see if I change my mind at some point in the future.

When Gretchen comes upstairs in a few minutes, we will see about swapping K's smaller white dresser for our larger dark wood dresser. When that's done, most of this project will be completed.

Maybe. :)

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Movie Night

2026-05-25T03:34:30Z

Julie suggested that we could watch a movie for my birthday since we had watched one for hers. This seemed like a fine idea, but yesterday got away from us, so we planned this for tonight.

The problem is that a great many of the movies that I might want to watch were not available on streaming or would cost an annoying amount to rent. (Not that much, just annoying.) But I bought the Indiana Jones box set a while back on DVD, so we could watch "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

At least, we could watch it if the disk was in the case. It was not. Nor did it turn up on cursory searches of places where it should have been. I am annoyed.

Gretchen suggested "1776" and the copy that we had of that was available -- which is good, because we would have had to subscribe to Starz to get it otherwise. The kids liked it a lot.

And, of course, so did Gretchen and I.

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They Say It's My Birthday

2026-05-24T02:48:17Z

Thanks for all the lovely birthday wishes!

I had a nice day. Gretchen and I grabbed lunch at Texas Roadhouse, then picked up lunch for kids and parts for carrot cake. The carrot cake was quite successful and there will be plenty left for tomorrow.

I spent some time (not much) helping K put the second coat of paint on her room and then went out and bought a second gallon of paint, because I didn't want her to run out. The second coat is now on the walls. Some of it is on other things, but they should be able to be cleaned.

That includes K.

Tomorrow, I think we are going to watch a movie together. :)

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Seeing Red

2026-05-23T04:09:02Z

The first coat of red paint has gone up in K's room. It's very red. There's still more work to be done though. I have been promised that I can relax tomorrow (it being my birthday) as long as I am willing to come supervise some of the work. Much like my father, I am excellent at supervisory work of this nature, so I am fine with that. :)

Tonight, I went down to Tobias Music for a Taylor Tone Show. It was a lot of fun and I learned a few new things, which is a good outcome.

I didn't buy any more guitars which is *also* a good outcome. :)

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Here Comes the Project

2026-05-22T03:42:47Z

Tomorrow, I am going to help K paint her room.

Wish us luck!

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Projects

2026-05-21T03:32:11Z

I want carrot cake for my birthday, which means that we need some unsulfited coconut. The easiest place to find that is Trader Joe's, so I headed there after lunch. They've moved all of the bulk items of that sort to a different aisle, but I eventually got a pointer and tracked them down.

The slot where the unsulfited shredded coconut goes was absolutely empty. Drat. There were coconut strips nearby, but they would not work nearly as well. I poked around and then noticed something *behind* the coconut strips. This turned out to be the single remaining bag of the coconut that I was looking for. Having won the scavenger hunt, I picked up a few more items for the household and headed home.

At 2 PM, I had the video appointment with the La-Z-Boy tech to inspect my broken recliner chair. They are sending parts and will send a tech to repair it. This will cost about $250 total, but that is still better than replacing the chair, even if it is 13 years old. Looking at the website, matching the original leather recliner would cost around $2100. Eek!

Then I called Home Depot and managed to get the order for the new storm door set up. This had gotten dropped on the ground in the general confusion of getting K back from college, but is now paid for. Now someone just has to install it.

Meanwhile, K is ready to begin painting her room. Whee!

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Forward Progress

2026-05-19T22:17:39Z

Yesterday, we got everything done for Gretchen's Medicare enrollment. Yay!

Today, I made the COBRA payment for the kids and me. Ouch!

And then I went to the Social Security website to see how my Medicare enrollment is coming, only to discover that the website is being very, very ill right now and can't locate anything.

In any case, it looks like we will be spending a lot of money on healthcare. This is somehow not a surprise.

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Baseball and Parking

2026-05-19T04:57:30Z

Cubs pitcher Shoto Imanaga tonight had a terrible outing in what has been, so far, a pretty good season for him. He ended up giving up eight runs which was plenty for a 9-3 Brewers victory tonight in my third game of the season.

Why is this only my third game of the season, given that I am no longer employed and theoretically have more time -- *and* when the Cubs have played a lot of very good baseball? Well, it turns out that I've been busier in unemployment trying to sort everything out than you'd expect.

And the remote parking situation is execrable. The new parking is 15 to 20 minutes farther away from home than the old lot, which adds a lot to the transit time for getting to the park. It is completely unfriendly to anyone who has difficulty with stairs, because the elevators are *still* shut off. Supposedly they work and just need to be inspected by the city before they can be used. This was the same thing I was told a month ago at my previous game. Someone *has* done an excellent job of cleaning up the various flyers that complained about the broken elevators though. It's good to have priorities.

It took an hour after the final pitch to get back to the garage and out to the street in my car. I have had times in the past with the old parking lot when I was able to be *at home* an hour after the final pitch. Mind you, that was a case of *everything* timing out right, but it was *possible*.

This is the situation when the night games are starting at 6:40 PM. When they move to 7:05 PM shortly, traffic is going to be even worse.

Clearly, this is not going to be fixed this year. Maybe next year.

Maybe someday, they will inspect the elevators.

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Julie Has Graduated

2026-05-18T03:58:31Z

Julie is officially a high school graduate, walking with her class today. She finished classes in December, but now it is all done. We'll see what's next. :)

In other news, K continues to prepare for painting her room. She does not want the Laura Reynolds dragon painting that has been hanging in her room, so I took it down and have rehung it in the office over the recording laptop. On the other side of the room next to the pinball machine, I hung the Theresa Mather dragon that I bought at Windycon.

There are more things that will need to be done, but Gretchen and I need to get up early tomorrow, so it's a good time to stop doing things and go to bed. :)

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The Heat Is On

2026-05-17T03:35:06Z

The heat is on outside. I helped K to clean out the furnace filters today and we got them reinstalled this evening. That's good, because it was just too hot outside today for us to sleep tonight and I've turned on the air conditioning for the first time this season.

I got a few things done today (including a second run at the same repair on the pinball machine, following instructions from the support line this time). I would like to get more things done, but there are a lot of little obstacles in the way.

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Tune Up

2026-05-16T04:23:14Z

I've had the new Harry Potter pinball machine for a week now. Earlier today, the Death Eater drop target malfunctioned, which is not good. It went down and wouldn't come back up and stay up.

I poked around a bit on line. Then I opened up the machine, removed the glass, stood the playfield on end, and spent some time inspecting the problem. Eventually, I concluded that the screw at the bottom of the associated coil was loose, so I tightened it up. Then I put everything back together.

Things seem to be working correctly now. And I am thankful that this was a simple repair. This is a *complex* machine!

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Progress

2026-05-15T04:04:16Z

Gretchen's application for Social Security and Medicare has been processed, which is good, because she has more immediate medical needs than I do. My application is still in processing, I'm told because they need to check my earnings record. We've got an appointment for Monday to sign Gretchen up for Part D and Medigap insurance, after which she will be good to go. Me, well, I've got COBRA, but since it's subordinated to Medicare, I *may* be able to get prescriptions with it right now. I need to check on that. And the kids, at least, should have coverage once they get done processing that.

I went out to see my financial advisor today and we are in the process of getting things moved from the Oracle-sponsored Fidelity accounts to our accounts at Ameriprise. This will (of course) take a while. But it's in process and -- although it can't be completed until late next year because of some restricted stock -- it will help get things sorted out.

Since I slept badly last night and took a nap this afternoon, that was pretty much the sum total of progress for the day. All things considered, I will take it.

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Stuff

2026-05-14T02:27:20Z

I feel like I should be getting more things done, but I am doing a lot of running in place.

Let's see how tomorrow goes. :)

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Making It Up As It Goes Along

2026-05-13T03:28:03Z

Someone has now written an AI-driven wiki dedicated to hallucinating on various subjects. Yes, this is of absolutely no use, save for entertainment.

Here, for example, is the article on The Great Filking Schism of 1799.

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I Saw Sheep!

2026-05-13T03:16:07Z

I saw sheep!

Julie, Sam, Bonnie, and I went over to Randhurst and saw "The Sheep Detectives" today. It is a very sweet little film and we enjoyed it.

Meanwhile, the freezer thermometer confirms that the freezer is back to the correct temperature, so what we had was an improperly closed seal somewhere in the system that let warm, humid air into the freezer. Once I got everything resealed correctly, the temperature started falling. We will have to be more careful.

But now I have a refrigerator thermometer!

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Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

2026-05-12T04:42:38Z

We got a call from a nice lady at Social Security at 7:30 AM on Thursday as she was the person who had been assigned our application. We explained that the thing that we were most concerned about was getting signed up for Medicare, because without that, we effectively have no health insurance, even if we signed up and paid for COBRA. She said that she would push the application through to the Medicare processors and that they would pick it up on Monday or Tuesday. Apparently, I managed to complicate the process by filing for Social Security benefits at the same time. It's not clear how I could have filed for one without the other when filing on-line, although I could have (I suppose) if I had taken the Medicare application to the Social Security office. The process seems to be complex.

Today, I signed up for COBRA for myself and the kids. If I could have, I would have just signed up for COBRA for the kids, but that is not allowed by Oracle's plan. I also extended our dental and vision insurance for all of us. Gretchen is going in to have her crown applied tomorrow for which dental insurance should help, while the entire family needs the services of the optometrist, so while extending vision insurance is not normally the best choice, it looks like a pretty close bet in our case.

I took K to Home Depot to pick up some painting supplies and paint chips. Painting is going to begin soon. First, there will be spackling.

And when I got home from Home Depot, Gretchen announced that the freezer was misbehaving. I have acquired a freezer thermometer and we will see what things look like in the morning. I also checked. I recall that we bought a five-year service policy from the store we bought the refrigerator from. And my blog tells me that I bought the refrigerator in July, 2021.

Good.

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Mother's Day

2026-05-11T04:22:46Z

It was a relaxed celebration here for Mother's Day. I grilled steaks for dinner. Now, Gretchen is introducing the kids to "Camelot", a movie that I've not seen in quite some time.

The amount of yelling at the screen is amusing.

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Moving This and That

2026-05-10T02:25:35Z

Sam and Bonnie came out to see the new pinball machine and take a look at furniture that needed to be moved. I had intended to swap the older La-Z-Boy recliner in Julie's room for the newer one from downstairs, but Julie said she would just as soon not have a chair in her room, so I have not yet solved the problem of the furniture in the living room.

K, meanwhile, wanted to get rid of the nice (although slightly worn) white desk in her room to make more space and *Gretchen* claimed that, putting it in the window nook in our bedroom, replacing the parson's bench that had been there.

This means that we now have a recliner and a parson's bench that are looking for a good home among our friends. Let us know if you're interested.

Sam, Bonnie, and I spent some time exercising the new pinball machine. After consideration, Sam and I shifted it a bit to the right so that it doesn't block the window and is flush against the sewing machine. That configuration looks much more intentional. It also leaves a nice spot on the wall next to the pinball machine and over the sewing machine to hang the Theresa Mather piece that I bought at Windycon, so that works out too.

There is still plenty of cleaning (and painting!) to do, but progress is being made and the conversation was good. :)

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Flip It

2026-05-08T23:35:36Z

So I did a thing.

Back in early March or thereabouts when I was still employed and figured I was going to start collecting Social Security in May, I said to myself that I was going to have a bit of surplus cash and that I wanted to buy myself a retirement present even if I wasn't planning to retire for some time yet. And I put a deposit down on a pinball machine, because -- although I have a Flash machine in the basement that is *almost* working -- new pinball machines do a lot of things that older pinball machines didn't do.

The pinball machine arrived today and is now installed in my office.

It looked smaller in the woods.

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That Thing You Do

2026-05-07T22:38:33Z

Today was research day. I have learned a lot of things. I have a lot more things to learn.

I now have two free LLMs downloaded on my desktop computer -- which is happily robust. Free is a good price. Also, the shim application that I'm using to manage this has a plugin that links to Duck Duck Go, so it can supplement the LLM's data set with web searches, which is a *very* good thing.

I am working to get Visual Studio Code configured, because it is *also* free. I will find out what the limitations are eventually. :)

And -- since I have a Synology NAS sitting on my desk -- I can have a Git Server. And now I do.

This is awesomely close to being a development environment.

Which is cool.

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