20 years, done & dusted

Does anyone throw a party to celebrate the end of term for a Term Life Insurance Policy? 

Or do we just say, "Congratulations on losing the bet you are most happy to have lost."

I think at least a cake, or a pie, or perhaps a healthy celebratory hike.

Twenty years went by, and I didn't die.

Raise your glass to the sky for the guy who didn't die!

talkin' 'bout my generation

When the William Tell Overture comes on the radio, it must be blasted, especially if there are others in the house who are sleeping too late.

In my brain, the Beatles are the original rock group.

When I was a small child I thought I'd be taking casual trips to the moon when I grew up.

I knew what a googol was long before there was a Google. (Mrs Bloom taught us in elementary school.)

The word "ansible" makes makes me think first of Ursula K LeGuin, and possibly of 'tesseract'. After that I think of ansible software, which must be very cool to be deserving of such a name.

My fear of nuclear catastrophe was replaced by fear of catastrophic global-warming. There may have been a bit of a break in between.

Washington National Airport already had a President's name; why add Reagan's?

When we studied U.S. History in school, we were taught to admire politicians who made compromises.

I used to think Apple was on our side.

I use my index fingers to text.

Software Testing Paradigm Shift!

In today's email:

Software Testing from the End User Perspective – A Paradigm Shift."

What will you learn?

• Redefining Quality: Explore the multifaceted concept beyond traditional metrics.
• End User Adoption: Understand the crucial link between testing success and user satisfaction.
• New Testing Approaches: Learn how a paradigm shift can enhance user experiences.

My thoughts:

• Redefining Quality: Explore the multifaceted concept beyond traditional metrics.   <== how about: "It's good enough." 
• End User Adoption: Understand the crucial link between testing success and user satisfaction. <== If the thing breaks, the user is not happy. 
• New Testing Approaches: Learn how a paradigm shift can enhance user experiences. <== Paradigm shifts enhance everyone's experiences!! 

  Should this have gone on my Tech blog?

Love

The thing about love is: they don't have to do anything. They just have to be.

Of course, you want them to do, lots of stuff. Yet love is not conditional, never conditional. 

That's love.

2023 November

November 1st: The problem is that it's hard to hear Billie Holiday without thinking of David Sedaris.

======================================

November 2nd: crochet scraps

• Yoko Ono blindfolded? as she crochets in a video of John Lennon & Plastic Ono Band performing Instant Karma

• This morning, my spouse sang to me "Voulez vous crochet avec moi, ce soir" and it ran through my head for too long, along with a next verse saying, "If so, there's a group that meets at the library first Monday of the month at 6pm"

======================================

November 14th:  Yes. I can recognize the sound of the Mail Delivery truck when it goes up the street, stops at our mailbox, then shifts to drive up to the next mailbox.

Rural points for this? Work-from-home points for this? Sad lonely creature points?

======================================

from Sourcery by Terry Pratchett:

              EVIL WIZARD

     They shall have their chance,
     when hell freezes over.

              DEATH

     No. I am not allowed to 
     enlighten you, even by 
     default, as to the current
     temperatures in the next
     world.

======================================

November 15th: Smoker's cough without the benefit? pleasure? of smoking first.

=======================================

"Let there be light" is two words in Hebrew.

=======================================

November 30th: Facebook? I don't care to open a website to see a jumbled mess--I got that in my house already. 

=======================================

Buying lottery tickets, not in hopes of winning, but as a personal declaration of unhappiness.

=======================================

2023-10-24 OK I broke down and bought a burr grinder

It was on sale.

I couldn't get the Aeropress to impress me. So maybe a burr grinder would elevate my coffee experience. Everyone said it made a big big difference.

I had good Peet's coffee, though it was dark roast, which used to be my favorite but the coffee experts pshaw at dark roast.

I did use a lower temperature for the dark roast, like the coffee experts said to do.

25 October: First day with 1zepresso J Manual Grinder.

I tried using the Aeropress spoon to measure beans but then I added more than would fit in spoon,

Grinding took a long time. Coffee came out too fine. The hot water wouldn't go through filter, even after poured the unhappy mixture into my regular filter that fits over a measuring cup. (OK, it's a standard paper filter that would fit a Mister Coffee, and that fits on top of a frozen-soup container into which I punched many holes long long ago. It did make decent drip coffee.)

I looked at 1zeropress website again. The first step is to find zero. I think I found zero, then moved the grind adjuster 42 clicks at least.

I'll see how it goes next time: but use fewer beans in Aeropress spoon.

On last small small container* of coffee too.

No I'm not going to buy a scale. Not yet. Maybe the one we have will work. It needs a battery.

*(To keep coffee from going bad in the long time it takes me to use it up, I have started to portion the contents of each newly purchased bag into a number of small plastic containers, which I put in the freezer. That way, I'm not opening the same container of frozen coffee numerous times.)

October 2023: foraging in the oranges

 Mason Pearson pocket brushes: 

• $120 - nylon-boar mix
• $140 - all boar

which is better to brush my hair?

2023-09-21: Ogden Nash's missing watch

an Ogden Nash poem I couldn't find on the Internet - not Bing, not Google, not Quack

goes something like:

my shiny new watch 

goes tickety ticket

whenever?/after? I wind it

it sounds like a cricket

...

da da da da da

da da da da da da

...

'til shaken by baby

then pretty watch stops.

The poem was in a book in the bookcase when I was growing up.

2023-09-20: From "Birches" by Bill Morrissey

She thought of heat.

She thought of time.

She called it an even trade.

 

reaching out with genuine enthusiasm

cleaning out inbox, smiling at spam:

Hello,

I trust this message finds you in good health and high spirits. I am reaching out with genuine enthusiasm, recognizing the potential for meaningful collaboration that can emerge from the convergence of our diverse areas of expertise.

 It's fascinating how our diverse fields of expertise can intersect and create opportunities for mutual growth. As a reputable sales representative specializing in both crude and refined Petroleum Products, I've come to appreciate the significance of a robust network in attracting buyers. I'm reaching out to connect with professionals in the oil and gas markets, in hopes of exploring potential collaborations in marketing refined petroleum products. Let's come together for a prosperous future!

In my role as a seasoned sales representative, specializing in both crude and refined Petroleum Products, I have had the privilege of representing major refineries with substantial inventories in the Rotterdam, Belgium, and Europe region. These inventories encompass high-demand commodities like Aviation Fuel, Diesels En590, and crude oil, all readily available for Spot Deals.

 I am more than willing to engage in discussions to address any inquiries or ideas you may have.

Thank you for dedicating your time to this matter, and I eagerly anticipate the prospect of a mutually beneficial collaboration.

Best Regards,

ADS Trading BV
Mr. Cornelis | Sales Director

October 2023

It feels odd to act out your normal life

When there's so much carnage

A few electrons away.