Life in the back yard

Another step up

The sign outside the Giant down the road announced that anyone who had been fully vaccinated could enter without a mask, in keeping with CDC guidelines and recommendations.   First time I've seen that.

A brief listing of the day's events:

- Read more of Brave Men

- Watched more of the PBS special on the life of Ernie Pyle

- Read more of The History of the Standard Oil Company.  

  - Wondered why the oil refiners in the Cleveland area simply rolled over and sold out to John D. Rockefeller, instead of banding together and fighting back

- Updated BIOS on my PC, updated drivers on BB's PC

- Watched a few holes of the golf tournament

- Learned more about the kind of cabinets that are installed in a garage, which brands sell quality products, and how to install them

- Had good Quality Time with my "widdle baby durl", who hopped into my lap and lay down.  She left sometime during my nap.

- At one point during the afternoon (a rainy, cold one) I looked out the back window and saw a squirrel, a pair of mallards, and a rabbit on the ground near a neighbor's bird feeders.

- Read a blog post from rabbit-lover Noah Smith about his experience with depression and saw myself in it.  When it's good, you can't remember how bad the bad part was, and when it's bad, you can't imagine things ever getting better.  He's better now, and so am I.  

Enough for everyone

In a back yard patch that used to be a garden, there's now a lot of weeds (you can see that).  There's also a pole that holds a varying number of bird seed feeders, with a corresponding number of birds (depending on the amount of seed each contains).  

Beneath the feeders are two old boxes that used to contain herbs when we grew them on an uncovered deck.  Now they collect seeds that the birds reject, and you'll notice they don't last long enough to sprout in either of those boxes.

Saturday Evening Post

 

Traditional Friday Cat Blogging with Brave Nelson

 

A couple other things

With a few minutes to wait until 5:00 this afternoon, I called up the saved baseball game started a day or two previously.  I'd stopped in the 5th inning with the 1977 Tigers leading 1977 Toronto 3-0.  The game went on, and as usual I was managing the home team while the computer called the shots for Detroit.  

Detroit scored twice more, and going to the bottom of the 9th they led 5-0.  Of course, you can now guess that Toronto came back with six runs to win in a walk-off.  But starting that 9th inning, down five with three outs to go, realizing that the Blue Jays were 54-107 that season for a good reason, yet good things kept happening.  Every pinch-hitter I sent up produced a hit, and the pinch-runner with an EX running rating scored the winning run on an infield grounder, beating the throw home.  It doesn't happen that way very often.  Glad it happened today, though, for more reason than winning a dice game.  

BB and I got some soft-serve after supper, a few miles up the road at Ice Cream World.  It was sunny and in the high 70's, and the forecast for Friday called for rain most of the day, so this was the better day.  Hopefully I haven't asked too much from my stomach.        

EDIT:  If you'd asked me at 3:00 this morning, I would have said that I had.

Seen during this evening's walk

At the corner of Daniel and Quail, two barn swallows sat atop the stop sign on Quail.  As I walked past, one bird flew away, but the other stayed put, even when I pulled the phone out of my pocket, aimed, and took two quick snapshots.

Done that

Downloaded the latest version of SyncBack and synced up the data drive on the PC and the portable data drive for safe keeping.  I'd used it years ago with its FTP capability to keep the old blog backed up here.  Forgot about it until recently, but glad I remembered.  Still intuitive and simple.

I bought three domain names over the years for blogging purposes, and recently renewed two of them.  Then, while mucking around in the Blogger settings, I learned it was possible to add a domain redirect to this quiet corner of cyberspace. So I found out how and did it.  Not that it matters much here, but someday it may come in handy to know.

Old, Reliable

Slow week at work, so this morning I'm looking at Life magazine via Google Books.  There's usually something that is worth a post, and here's one for today.

Months ago, there was an ad showing a child with a rabbit, in which the rabbit is blamed for scratching the little kiddie, when it's clear to me that the bunny is blameless.

Today, this ad in the issue dated January 7, 1946 is even more egregious.  

Horrid child, foolish parents... poor bunny.

Wednesday evening

One storm came through around 4:30, and three hours later, another one is beginning.  We do need the rain.

A feeling of things ending, and not liking it.  Awake early today, trying to self-analyze.  A few weeks from a big red number on the calendar, a few weeks from my role changing at work, several weeks since the feral cats stopped coming by our house.  Still wearing a mask in public, still can't visit the cats in NJ.  

Still have something to do during business hours, still have someone to love, but the something to look forward to is limited to new episodes of Cocaine and Rhinestones and You Must Remember This.  

Making an effort to eat less and eat better.  When weather permits, taking walks around the neighborhood.  One day at a time.  One meal at a time.  

Weekend's end

Saturday:  baked M&M cookies; weed-whacked the areas not whacked by the lawn service.

Sunday:  bought and installed a new mouse for the laptop downstairs; bought sour cream and pecans and used them to bake blueberry muffins; burned a copy of Linux Mint v. 20 to a USB drive. 

Today I learned

Baseball Digest,  Sept. 1946

Part of the fun of reading old books and magazines is coming across a word, a phrase, or a name that is presented as though everyone should know it - but I don't.  Finding the above in a 1946 magazine led me to look up the David Harum - Wikipedia entry.  

So then, it was a best-seller in the final years of the 19th Century, and turned into verbal shorthand still in use in 1946.  But by the time I came along, it had fallen into disuse, like "Fibber McGee's closet."

And, I've added a public domain copy of David Harum to my collection, just in case I ever dig in to my reading (now, a non-reading) list of books downloaded from the web.

 

My day

 Events of the day.

At 1:45, a calendar pop-up informed me of a meeting.  I had talked with the boss about my next role only the day before, and he said it would be geared toward more training conference calls.  I recognized the client, and took the opportunity presented to me.  I didn't have to talk, and was taking notes on how the presenter was doing things, so it wasn't boring.  In fact, it was kind of a nice change of pace.  Weird, no?

Last night, BB picked up a prescription at Walmart, and we got a few other things.  Tonight, to Wegmans for things Walmart didn't have, and when Wegmans didn't have them either, we continued east on Tilghman to the Giant and got them there.  It felt good to get out of the house and take a ride in my car.  

At Wegmans, I saw at least a couple of men walking around the store without masks.  First time in a long time.

Our welcome visitor

Just outside the front door this afternoon.  In fact, you can see the mushrooms from yesterday's post just behind the cottontail.

Saturday Evening Post

Popping up in the mulch just outside the front door.

Earlier today, BB and I took a walk up the block, and just as we got back, BB stepped off the sidewalk and quickly hopped to her right with a squeal.  She pointed at the foot-long snake, curled in the sun, which she'd nearly stepped on.  

I went on around the block and it felt good all the way.  No pain, no problems with fatigue.  By the time I finished the lap, the snake was gone.

Last night, Microsoft notified me that I had violated their terms of service, and that my account had been locked.  I dutifully filled out the form asking for more detail and got none in the quick reply.  Just that my account was blocked permanently.  No more email, OneDrive, or Office 365.  And that's how you fire one of your paying customers.  Further forms were ignored.  A couple of public tweets to Microsoft and OneDrive were ignored.  

Following that realization, I learned that many others had been through the same one-strike-and-you're-out process.  They fought back and got nowhere.  A couple of people had actually received some sympathetic responses, which gave them hope, but their accounts were never re-opened either.  

What was it I'd done to deserve it?  Going through the closet in one bedroom, I'd found a DVD of a movie BB enjoyed.  Since we got Tivo, we don't have a DVD player, so I used VLC to rip an MP4 and put a copy on a thumb drive.  Unfortunately, I did not delete the original MP4.  That was the pretext they used to ban me.  No questions about whether the copy was legal, no warning that the copy had to go.  Microsoft is really strong for IP rights, I get that, but they were wrong about this one.  How many other customers have they thrown away like this?

And believe me, I'm gone for good.  I've deleted as much Microsoft software as possible on all devices, and spent time this afternoon changing the email addresses on file for the credit union, the mortgage company, the credit cards, and so on.  

This whole thing was shocking for several hours, but now I've done something about it.  Moving on.

  

Done

2nd Covid vaccine shot this afternoon.  Very organized, even the long line moved quickly.  A half-day off with pay from the company, so it's all good. 

Then to the Bethlehem ShopRite for a few things we can't find at Wegmans, Giant, Redners, or even Weis.  John Martin meats, cheap seltzer, and it always seems like either Ben & Jerry or Haagen Daas is on sale for $2.88.  (The latter, today)

Then home.  Watched a half-hour of My Favorite Wife before giving up.  Not funny.  Next, Victor/Victoria for the first time in many years.  Watched 45 minutes before falling asleep.  Woke up around 6:00 with soreness in the left arm where the vaccine went in.

Is that it?  Yeah, that's enough.

Things I'm Not Doing

Just feeling like I'm in a rut.  So for a change, no French (radio or news), no writing (except for this), taking a ride during the day (taking BB to LVH today).  Reading Perelman and Benchley.

2nd dose of Moderna vaccine tomorrow afternoon.  Preparing for the side effects, hoping for the best.

No cats or rabbits in our yard.  Could that have been a coyote that one night?  Possible - coyote sightings have been reported in this county.  This was too dark to be a fox, too big to be a dog with that face and build.  Still holding on to hope that the little black pooshka simply moved somewhere else for reasons of safety.  When the weather gets cold, perhaps we'll see her again.

Brave Nelson, Ever-Vigilant

 

Doesn't make it right

Magazine publisher writes opinion piece to put employees on notice.  Twitter users put into words how I felt while reading it.

Representative sample:

My afternoon

Downstairs after logging off at 5:00 (4:55, truth be told), I sat down on the recliner, which quickly turned into lying down and from there to napping.

Regaining consciousness a half-hour later, I ate a bowl of chili, drank a 16-oz. Pepsi, and enjoyed a Dove Bar for dessert.

Here's what Google history says followed (abridged):

* Amazon, bought a pump for the cats' water fountain, along with a few other things (baby aspirin, mixed nuts)

* Yesterday, I read a New Yorker interview with a former writer for the Simpsons, who has self-published more than a dozen books.  

* Today, when I went to Amazon, one of the writer's books was recommended to me.  Nosy, aren't they?  Isn't there a law against that?

* Good old baseball for awhile:  reliving the improbable home runs from Bartolo Colon and Rick Camp

* Good old rock and roll after that:  drum videos from German teen Sina, particularly this one...

Back to the Baseball Think Factory page, then to Facebook, and finally to the bookmarked kinescope of Blithe Spirit (which will probably be taken down, so not bothering with a link).  Ford Star Theatre, January 14, 1956, with Claudette Colbert, Lauren Bacall, Mildred Natwick, and of course, Noel Coward.  (No, I'm not forgetting the pre-"Mrs. C" Marion Ross.)  Not enough time to finish watching it tonight, so tomorrow night for sure.

P.S.:  A new season of Cocaine and Rhinestones, *and* a new season of You Must Remember This, neither of which are hidden behind any manner of paywall?  These *are* the good old days.

Cringing quietly

I should have kept a list of some of the email addresses I've seen over the years.  Not that I can think of any now, but you know what I mean.  The company's convention for assigning them might be, for example, up to the first six letters of the last name, and the first and middle initial, making me "mooreje."  That has led to some interesting combinations, none of which come to mind.

But what brought this on is learning tonight that while baseball-reference.com has a naming convention of up to 5 letters of the last name plus the first 2 of the first name, an exception was made for Kevin Youkilis.

Almost persuaded, mostly not

On Cinco de Mayo, I'm used to seeing visual gags involving a kitchen and a jar of Hellman's (or Best Foods, depending).  

I'll settle for the mental image of the manager of the 1968 Detroit Tigers, who (it turns out) was an excellent billiards player.  Sink-o the 8 ball, Mayo....

Stars in the House

Sounds ideal to me:  a reunion of Bob Newhart's two most popular TV shows, showing live now on YouTube, and there are all of 540 viewers watching it now.  

Here's the URL, in case they use it afterward for on-demand streaming.

That same old formula

Maybe when you get old enough, everything reminds you of something else. One of the pangrams in the New York Times Spelling Bee a few days ago was "monophonic." A few seconds after that, my mind tossed out the phrase "monophonic symphony." Just that, nothing more, and I had to google it to get the rest -- a song from around 50 years ago, and a succinct description of the brief period I tried to learn to play guitar.

Sequel: 50 ans plus tard

Claire's Knee Replacement

Yep, Monday, all right

Saturday was pizza and M&M cookies, Pepsi and ginger ale.  Sunday was leftover pizza and more cookies, more Pepsi and ginger ale. 

Today was supposed to be a return to a more disciplined diet, and for several hours it was successful.  After supper, back to cookies and ginger ale.  

Plus (or minus), it rained all afternoon so there was no walking around the development.  Tomorrow, Doctor V is going to take me to task for the results of the latest blood test and its too-high-for-comfort level of blood glucose.  

Ah, so whaddaya gonna do?

Found somewhere, appropriate for remembering an absent friend

Life goes on.

In some cases, life goes on and on.

Only rarely, life goes on and on and on.

Caturday afternoon nap with Nelson and Kit