Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot, 2022 Edition (Early)

Sorry if this appears to be early, but I have to work tonight, and calling out on holidays is strongly discouraged at work (especially after I had to call out on December 23/24 last week due to the ice storm. BTW freezing rain sucks…). So, in no particular order (other than what pops into my head), here’s what happened this year:

• I watched a Test cricket match in it’s entirety. (BTW, Australia defeated Pakistan).
• I upgraded the processor on my computer (2700X to 3800x, both Ryzen 7).
• Wrecked the 3800X in a CPU cooler gone terribly wrong.
• Started using my old HP Tower again (my HP Pavilion 500-314).
• Realized I had a bad power cable, and was able to get my tower working again with the 2700X.
• Bought another 3800X.
• Got used to Windows 11. But I prefer Windows 10 more. When Windows 10 is no longer supported, I’m ready for 11.

(The last few items all happened in the last two months).

• Didn’t buy any shoes this year.
• Went from my Motorola RAZR 2019 back to my Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
• Went from my Samsung Galaxy Note 9 to a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
• Started using my Blu-Ray player again.
• I’ve gone a whole year without setting foot in a mall. The only reason I would now would be for a Target run, but I have that delivered (now more because of Pierce Transit’s f*cked up scheduling than anything else. It is now next to impossible to make a connection at from Pacific Avenue to 122th St (or likewise) in less than an hour).
• My AC tried to die on me. After leaving it unplugged for two weeks, it reset. And I needed it, this summer was hot. I wouldn’t say really hot, but is was consistently hot. It wasn’t until October that I was able to take it down for good.
• The Mariners made it to the post-season. Then choked it.

The there are various and sundry passings like Benedict XVI, Barbara Walters, Angela Lansbury, Gilbert Gottfried to name a few.

2022 was a trip. Now on to 2023. See you next year.

A Boxing Day to remember….

Worked Christmas night. Not a big deal. Par for the course with employer. Get home Monday morning. Peeled off all my clothes (it really rained all night long, and I was caught out in it). Jumped in the shower, and then straight to bed. Even earlier than normal. And I slept. And slept. And I feel much better now. Nothing like 10+ of sleep to recover from the holidays. And the pulled muscle/hernia that I’ve been dealing with this past week has cleared up considerably. I think the cough I've been putting up with gave it to me. Btw, the cough has settled down, too. With the warmer temperatures of late, I've actually kept my windows open for the fresh air…

So, when we last our heroes on Christmas morning, we had ordered Jack(ing Off) In The Box for delivery. It never showed up. The driver called us and said that they were out of everything. I think it was the manager being a prick, but it wasn’t worth the complaint. So I went to 7-11, and grabbed a couple of Big Bites. Just a mental note here: don’t do it again. Especially when you’re going to your sister’s in a few hours.

With the chip in my tower back to being a 3800X, I’ve decided to go all-in on Windows 11. As in a clean install. If I want to go nostalgic for the look and feel of a previous version, I have WindowBlinds and Start11 now. And that’s a lot easier than completely wiping my tower every time I want the look and feel of Windows 7…

Memories of Christmas past….

Growing up in all the various and sundry places we used to live (military family, but that’s another post). Getting up after a sleepless night, and going to our stockings. And finding it topped off with a single serving sized box of cereal. I usually got Raisin Bran (to this day, it is still one of my favorites). Some years, there was a big jar of pickles next to it (I still like pickles).

Fast forward to today. Since my brother and I go out to our sister’s house to celebrate, we dispense with the Christmas tree. Got up this morning, and brought my gift to my brother out (nothing much, just a tin of popcorn and a gift card to Wally World).

And as for the single serving sized boxes of cereal, we just ubered Jack(ing Off) In The Box…

And I should add…

And I should add after my last post, that it is now in the 50s outside and raining. So the icy conditions should be pretty much cleared up. Nothing melts ice quicker than cold,running water….

I missed Festivus this year….

I didn’t Air my Grievances, and there were no Feats of Strength. And it was the weather that is to blame.

Let’s rewind to December 22 (Thursday). Get  up, and I’m greeted by a Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service (I have Accu-Weather installed on both my phone and tower). They were saying freezing rain. Hindsight being 20/20, I should’ve called off work. But I didn’t. Roads were fine, so off to work I went. I got my assignments from my supervisor, the first one being pulling the trash from the parking lot. Towards then end of that task, I noticed that it was raining, and parking lot was icing over (the freezing rain, as predicted). The rest of my tasks that night were inside, so I concentrated on them.

At about a quarter to 7, I got text notifications from Sound Transit that express bus service was suspended indefinitely. King County Metro was on snow routes. And Pierce Transit was suspending all service until 7 am (and then on snow routes). Normally, I’d take the 8 o’clock bus, but I decided to finish my Christmas shopping and wait for the 9 o’clock bus. At 8 am, Pierce Transit suspended service until 10 am. At about 9 am, I started to head to the bus stop (normally a 15 minute walk, but I wanted to give myself extra time because everything was covered with sheet ice. I barely got out of the parking lot when I got the text that Peirce Transit was suspending service until it was safe to drive. So I went back to work, and booked an Uber. Not cheap. I had a coworker who lives along Pacific Avenue, and so I adjusted my ride to add her stop.

Got off work at about 7 am. Got home at about 11:30 am. My apartment’s parking lot was thoroughly iced over, even the walks. But I made it home. And then at about noon, I realized that buses still weren’t running, and I was scheduled to work last night. I called out. Wasn’t sure if bus service would be restored, and I wasn’t really in the mood to deal with the icy walk to the bus stop. Sent an email to the location manager explaining my reasoning, and I went to bed.

While I was asleep, Pierce Transit finally started service at 4. I looked out the window, and saw the ice still in my parking lot, and decided it wasn’t worth it (and I had already reported my absence). So I stayed home last night.

And during all this, I forgot about Festivus. Oh well, there’s always next year.

Happy Holiday to all!

The damage is finally undone….

Finally was able to replace the processor I f*cked up 2 months ago. Now comes the worst part: the cleanup….

A little creative bookkeeping….

Payday was last week. First I paid out all the bills due before the next payday. Then I realized that I could afford to replace the Ryzen 7 3800x that I fucked up last month. That will arrive later this week.

Did something today that I normally don’t do of late. I crossed Pacific Avenue. Normally when I do grocery shopping, I’ll have Target deliver, or I’ll catch the bus down to Wally World. But today, I crossed Pacific Avenue and went to Saar’s Marketplace. A bit on the expensive side, but I’m not paying a delivery fee, and dealing with the bus schedule….

Happy Shove Bread Up A Turkey’s Ass Day….

Today is Thanksgiving. Normally I’d be at work right now, but they give the overnight crew Wednesday night off (which is usually my Monday). Last year, they just gave me a three day weekend. This year, they just shifted my weekend. So I’m off tonight…

Normally my brother cooks Thanksgiving dinner, but he got invited out. And I have to work Thanksgiving night (related to Black Friday and working overnights). And my sister is having her Thanksgiving dinner right when I’m sleeping and getting ready to go to work. So I bought some sliced turkey breast at least for a sandwich. And I’m out of bread. C’est la vie….

So it doesn’t matter if you’re celebrating with turkey, ham, Soylent Green, or pizza rolls, have a happy Thanksgiving.

All this trouble for naught….

So after putting the 8 tb hard drive in my backup tower, I went to install windows (my last post was written on my phone. And the computer wouldn’t turn on at all.That gave me a hunch. I plugged another power cord into my ‘broken’ tower. And it turned on. It was all a bad power cord….

So long story short, my main tower is up and running again. The ‘new processor I had in it is shot, but a Ryzen 7 2700X isn’t that bad of a processor. So I can put off upgrading it for now….

Here we go again....

When we last last our hero, I was using my back up tower pending replacement of several parts on my main tower. Taking a look at my finances, I realized it was going to be several months before I could afford them. I'm not putting them on my Christmas list, as they're too expensive, and it was my mistake in the first place. So moving forward, I pulled the TV tuner card out and installed it. I also pulled out one of my 8tb hard drives (old tower only had space for one drive).

But this means I'm rebuilding the system again. Had a bit of a scare this time. When I put everything together again, and went to torn out on, nothing happened. Pulled everything out, cracked open the case and started checking connections. Ave then I heard the satisfying click. The cable to power the processor had come loose. It happens when you're moving stiff around inside. Put everything back together, and it starts up.

Not the best of situations, but I still have something, and I just have to make the best of what's around.... 

Been looking around online…

Replacement motherboard was located on Newegg. That and a replacement processor mean it will be about 3-4 months, possibly longer before I can afford it. Gambling is the quickest way to lose money, but IT is the surest…

Well this just sucks...

 So, after upgrading my tower to Windows 11 last week, I decided to upgrade the CPU cooler. Order an Arctic Freeze A35 A-RGB from Spamazon. Arrived on Wednesday (or my Monday according to my work schedule). Got home from work, and immediately broke my tower to install it. And I hurried. And I swore. But I  got it installed. I thought. I put the tower back together, and nothing happened when I turned it on. Took everything apart again, and this time, I saw lights, but it wouldn't boot up. Multiple tries, even reverting to my stock Wraith Prism cooler, didn't work. Eventually, I just gave up and went to bed. At work the next day, it occured to me that it might have been excessive thermal grease.So I ordered some thermal grease remover, which arrived Saturday. 

Fast forward to today. I get home form work, start my weekend, and take everything apart again. This time I used the grease remover to clear out the thermal grease from where it shouldn't be. And while cleaning it out, I took a look at the CPU (the Ryzen 7 3800X that I bought recently). And it wasn't good. Bent pin city. the CPU was dead. Fortunately I had my old Ryzen 7 2700X, which I put in. And then I tried powering on the tower. Nothing. I guess it looks like I'm replacing my motherboard and CPU. Again. Until then, I'm using my HP Pavilion 500-314 again. Once upon a time, I thought about giving it away. It's a good thing I didn't.

I've already priced the replacement components, and it's going to be a while before I can afford to them, so I gues I'm using this for the long haul. For now....

20 Years Ago Tonight....

It was 20 years ago tonight when my brother announced that I was going to the hospital. Add I was too sick to fight it. That's when I found out that I was a diabetic, and Type 1 at that.

So let us take a few minutes and commemorate little brothers and insulin.... 

Giving It Another Try…

Trying Windows 11 again. This time, I’ve ditched WindowBlinds and I’m going with just Start11. And this is what I’m going to stick with. I hope.

Ok, I Voted Already!

So, when I did my ‘weekend’ errands this morning, I also dropped off my ballot (the Parkland/Spanaway library branch has a ballot dropbox). So I’ve voted now. All the attack ads can stop, please. Seriously, if you can’t say anything nice about your opponent then don’t say anything at all.

Experiment Over

Ok, so I went back to Windows 10. I’m just not ready for Windows 11 yet. I know it’ll work fine on my system. But so does Windows 10, and it’s still supported for now….

So I did take a nap last night.

A couple of posts ago, I posited who really needs sleep. And I was toying with the idea of ordering pizza last night. And then my brother texted me that it was spaghetti night. So after that, I got through about half the Minday Night Football game before sleep finally caught up to me. So I took a 4 hour nap. Then finished reinstalling all my crap on my computer, and well you should’ve seen the previous post.

For those of you unnecessarily keeping score at home, I’ve also done laundry and filled out my ballot. It will be dropped off at the dropbox when I head out to do my errands….

Underway On Windows 11. Again….

Ok, I upgraded to Windows 11. The last time I tried this, it lasted for about 3 days. My main issues the first times around were the Start menu and the taskbar, but after paying for both Start11 and WindowBlinds, those have been squared away. I will miss the ribbon in File Explorer, but we’ll see how that goes…..

Who Needs Sleep?

Ok, I’m probably going to regret this in the long run…..

So, I get home from work this morning, and it’s the start of my weekend. Uber’ed some Burger King, took a shower. Eventually, it was time to go to bed. And I couldn’t sleep. So finally I’ve just decided that I don’t need sleep today apparently. Besides, there’s a Monday Night Football game on tonight. And then there are 3 T20 World Cup matches. I’ll probably end up having to take a nap, but for now, my eyes can’t stay closed….

So, I just did a test…

Made an early morning trip to Wally World, and grabbed a Covid home test. And the results are negative. It’s just a cold. This time….

I hate being sick….

So, at the end of my weekend, I started feeling a headache. I thought it was caffeine withdrawal, since I’ve cut back on my coffee and my energy drinks. I could either self-medicate it, or I could go to bed early and sleep it off. I chose to sleep it off. After 8 hours of shut-eye, I woke up to a sore throat.. Showered, and then realized the body aches were trying to set in. And so I’ve called out from work tonight. Whatever it is, this is most likely just the beginning, and it’s most likely going to get worse. And once I get in to work, there’s really no way for me to get home (can’t even afford an Uber, and buses shut down for the night right when I get to work).

So sorry co-workers, it’s just not in the cards tonight.

Another weekend…

And another email that had to be sent. Not going to go into much detail here. Bills got paid. Laundry got washed. And I’ve watched 4 T20 matches. Yes the T20 World Cup is in full swing.

And now for the real farewell to my tower….

A couple of posts ago, I titled a post A farewell to my tower, but when I was writing it I got sidetracked writing about something else, and ultimately didn’t even touch the original subject. So what. Big deal.

Anyway, last week, I ordered a DVD (yes DVD and not Blu-Ray) set of the 3 Stooges. 17 DVDs with 25 years of their shorts. All from Spamazon. This is a story in and of itself. I had tried to order it a couple of weeks ago, but it was lost in shipment (which is odd since Spamazon uses their own delivery system). But they were good sports and refunded the order when I cancelled it. So I ordered it again. And it arrived Sunday. So Monday night (my night off), when I was redownloading my EA games library due to a botched migration from the origin app to the EA app, I thought I’d watch some shorts. For those of you keeping score, I disconnected my Blu-Ray player in favor of my old HP Pavilion 500-314. I had put a Blu-Ray drive in my tower previously, so I still had Blu-Ray capability. I went with this for streaming reasons. My ‘smart’ TV and Blu-Ray had basic streaming (ie Netflix, Hulu, Spamazon Prime…). But they didn’t have the new streaming services (like Discovery+, ESPN+, and what not). So I used my second tower and just streamed it through Chrome. And things were good. Logitech even makes a good wireless keyboard specifically for home theater PC’s. Problem was that this was still a full-sized tower, and the only place I could place it was behind the TV, and it was a pain to get up to turn it on, and/or change discs. And the end-of-life is coming for Windows 8.1 (it’s running currently 8.1 Pro with Media Center). Since I’ve set this up, things have changed. I can now stream all of my streaming services through my cable box. And it’s easier to reach for my cable remote than it is to get up, head behind the TV, physically turn on the tower, and then wait for it to boot up, open chrome, and then start streaming.

So, I unplugged the HDMI cable from the tower, and plugged the Blu-Ray player back in. And more importantly, I found the Blu-Ray remote. It is no longer a ‘smart’ Blu-Ray player (most of the apps on it are old, and have been pulled). But it still plays discs, and I still have a library.

So, I can get a couple of nyuks, one short at a time….

Saw the game today….

Well, from the time I saw it vs. when I’m writing this, it was actually yesterday….

The Mariners made it to the post-season this year. Last week, they played the Wild Card Series in Toronto, and because of my work schedules, I slept through them. And they won, sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays. So fast forward to yesterday afternoon, when they were playing the Houston Astros. It was during my weekend so I pulled an all-nighter to watch the game. And the Mariners lost. So, in order to give them the very best chance of taking a pennant and/or the World Series, I will never watch a Mariners post season baseball game again. I’m not boycotting them. It’s just I’m not going to jinx the team….

A farewell to my tower….

So, after I got my video card 2 weeks or so ago, I wiped everything last week. And tonight I finished it. Redownloaded almost all of my games, including my Spamazon, Steam, Epic, Origin (now EA), Ubisoft, and Gog libraries. Almost 7 Tb. And now I’m backing up my key files to an external hard drive. Some people use cloud backups, but in reality, the so-called ‘cloud’ is just somebody else’s computer. At least with an external drive, I’m not worrying about my cloud credentials getting compromised. And you can’t get hacked if your drive is powered down.

Origin has switched to EA. Basically,the Origin app is going away, and your EA Games library will be played through the EA app. After downloading the entire library through the Origin app, I tried to switch to the EA app, but on the first attempt, it was requiring updates to my entire library. Which took forever to download, and install. I had to redownloaded everything. Again. But I got it to work, and more importantly, it kept me busy on my days off…

So I finally got m y birthday presents….

So, my birthday was a month and change ago. My sister got my brother and I tickets to Whose Live Is It Anyway. We saw the show this past Saturday. Greg Proops can not pronounce Puyallup. My brother paid for the Uber to/from the Fair, and also for the Earthquake Burger. Normally, I’d just buy the big present myself. I grew up in a not-so-well-to-to house, and I don’t want to break somebody else’s bank. But still, I appreciate what I got this year. It’s the thought that counts first. And seeing the show live and a Really Large Onion Cheeseburger aren’t all that bad.

SO last week, I took a look at my finances, and saw that they were in sufficient order that I decided to get myself something special. An AMD Radeon RX6600 CLD 8G. Unlike my previous card, this one was not DOA from Newegg (though props to them for the quick and painless replacement of that one).

I built this tower in June of 2019. Since then, the only part that I haven’t replaced is my TV Tuner card. Yes, it’s a work in progress….

Just chillin’

I’m just chilling out right now. The over night lows are starting to get into the ‘40s (fahrenheit if you’re keeping score at home). When I ran the AC, only the fan ran. It was too cool for the compressor to kick on. So, tonight I’ve taken down the AC hose, and I’ve put my window fan back in. I figure in a couple of weeks, the fan will be taken down, and I’ll close the window until spring….

Didn’t go to work tonight….

So, yesterday was my Grandmother’s birthday. And so we had a family reunion. Lots of fun. Good food. But it was right in the middle of when I should’ve been sleeping. I know what my priorities are. So, I booked the night off. And I got it. So I have the night off.

In memory of Mother, I brought a two liter of strawberry soda. There’s a story behind this. When we were growing up in Graham, mom bought a bottle of it from the local Safeway. Somehow on the car ride home, it got shaken. All I’m going to say is that I didn’t do it. Any how, it gets home, and she opened it. And I think to this day, there’s a stain on the ceiling from it.

So, I brought it as a throwback my siblings and I to remember she who could be at the family gathering anymore….

Russell was back....

What a way to start your weekend. With a Seahawks game on Monday night. He got booed. The same treatment that Mark Langston got when he left the Mariners. It went down to the wire, bite in the end the Seahawks won on the last play. When Denver chose to pull Russell Wilson for a kicker to make a 64 yard kick (with a only 1 in 8 chance of making it). Ave there are also the red zone fumbles. Denver, you're supposed to score with the ball, not give it back to us.... 

The Seahawks won the game. By one point. Russell Wilson will need a booster seat for the flight home, after he was handed his ass. 

More fun with public transportation….

Got to the bus stop on time tonight. I had seen on the Onebusaway that my bus was a little late, but I still have to try…So I get to the bus stop, and it keeps getting later and later. To the point that I’m now going to miss my connection in Tacoma to get to work. So I’ve called out. Again. There were no notifications of a missed trip or detour for this run.

But this isn’t the only time recently that Pierce Transit has dropped the ball. There is ongoing construction going on in Downtown Tacoma that is requiring detours for every downtown Tacoma route. And there are no maps, no guidelines, nor are there any clearly marked stops. Fortunately, I found that out on the way home (rather than coming in). So I’ve been making connection outside of downtown Tacoma. But tonight, I can’t make it there at all….

Sorry co-workers. The spirit is willing. But Pierce Transit isn’t having any of it…

The last day…

This is the last day (night) of my vacation. It was also my birthday today. Got all the well-wishes on Facebook.  I tried to respond to each one. This is even better than any birthday party for me. One of the things I’ve learned is that friendship is a far more precious thing than anything material.

But having said that, I’m going to see Whose Live Is It Anyway at the Puyallup Fair this year. Thank you Karen.

The agenda for tonight is get ready for my return to work tomorrow night. Which basically means putting my suspenders back on my jeans. And turning on my alarms again.

The price of global warming….

The way the household finances in my apartment work out, I brother gives me a lump sum when it’s time to pay the rent, and I take care of all the bills (he includes his share of the utilities with his rent). So last night, the electric bill arrived. I new it wasn’t going to be cheap since we’re running 2 portable AC’s and I think we’re on heat wave #3. Even still, it was shocking. About twice of what it was last month. But I still paid it. So, my apartment will still be comfortable for the time being.

This global warming thing ain’t cheap….

I was toying around with the idea of getting back onto Usenet, but after this month’s bills, it’s just going to be an idea….

A Late Vacation Day 4 Update:

I was so successful at doing nothing that I didn’t remember to write about doing nothing…. Oops. But rest assured, I spent all day either napping or sitting on my ass. The most strenuous thing I did was to sign in to YouTube on my TV (actually the cable box) to watch the Mariners games.

Vacation Day 3 Report:

After realizing that Colbert and Seth Meyers were in reruns this week, I took another 4 hour nap. So, I was successful in doing nothing last night (I didn’t even get all the way through Battle Red Snapper). This morning would’ve been a trip to Wally World, but I realized that I only needed bread, and it wasn’t worth the bus trip. So I went across the street to Saar’s for that.

Tomorrow’s agenda: nothing. No plans whatsoever. Just chilling at home…

Chairman Kaga is still wearing pants….

So while at lunch with my sister, somehow Iron Chef came up in the conversation. Not Iron Chef USA or Iron Chef America, but the original Japanese version. Apparently it is available on Pluto TV (as a whole ‘channel’ even).

I’ve never watched Pluto TV before. It appears to be completely ad-supported, just like regular broadcast TV. I can deal with that. So I’m now watching Battle Red Snapper.

And Chairman Kaga is wearing pants in this battle….

Vacation Update, Day 2:

Took a four hour nap last night. Which is why I’m still up right now. My sister came by, and we went out to lunch at Red Robin. Apparently she had intended to pay, but per my habit I had already paid for the meal (Red Robin now has a terminal at each table so you can settle your check right then and their). We then went to Sumner specifically to 7-11 to visit with my old boss form Mrs. Fields. A stop at Safeway on the way home (I wanted to look at their deli, bought the line was too long and prices too high).

So, I’m going to bed soon. For day 3, the agenda is currently just stream and chill….

Edit: I should also add that today is my 5 year anniversary with my current employer. And yes, I did plan my vacation deliberately so that I’d be off on both my work anniversary and my birthday. It’s good to have a job, and if the job has paid vacation, then it’s good to use it…

Vacation Day 1 Report, The Final Edition...

Didn't even make that snack run to 7-11. Ordered some groceries and  had then delivered. Ave played some Flight Stimulator. Watched since more of The Hundred.

And now to retire. Goodnight... 

Vacation Day 1 Report:

Did almost absolutely nothing last night. Finished rebuilding my computer after my experiment with Windows 11. The time will come for me to upgrade to it, but not now. Did laundry, did dishes, and took out garbage. Maybe a snack run to 7-11 later, but I think I’m staying indoors today. A vacation is about resting and doing as little as possible. I shall try my hardest at that…

Vacation: Commence!

A couple of months ago, I booked some vacation time. And it was promptly approved. Initially, I asked for three days off (plus my two day weekend would make 5 days off). A month later, I realized that I could take an extra day. So, I booked it. And again it was promptly approved. So now it’s 6 days off. And it now begins. First off, I’m watching a The Hundred match. And then, it will be off to do as little as possible…

Vacation: Commence!

It worked. Big deal…

So when we last left our hero, I had decided to finally install Windows 11. It worked. I was satisfied with it. But there were a couple of things. Through the use of Winaero Tweaker, I was able to restore the Windows 8/10 ribbon to my windows, and bring back the context menu. And with Open Shell, I was able to restore the Windows 10 taskbar. And then it occurred to me that I was looking for Windows 10 features, so I should probably just go back to Windows 10. So I did.

Don’t get me wrong, Windows 11 works just fine. But I prefer Windows 10 more….

Not going to deal with it tonight….

Got up on time to go to work. Got dressed. Drank coffee. Put pants on. Left for work on time. Got to the bus stop. Waited. And waited. And waited. Still, no bus. By this time, I would’ve most likely missed my connection in downtown Tacoma to get to work. And I’m not going to deal with the hassle (it happened last fall, and I ended up having to take an uber back home). Uber is out of the question (too expensive, and I’m not spending an entire day’s pay just to get to work).

Long story short, I’m calling out tonight. The spirit was willing, but the Pierce Transit wasn’t there…

So far, so good.

I’m now underway on Windows 11. All of my hardware installed without any major problems. Even my problematic wireless game controllers. There were a couple of bugs features that I dealt  with via some judicious tweaking. There are a couple of others that, while annoying, I can live with for the time being.

With any luck, I’ll be able to just stick with one version, and not constantly switch between 10 nd 11…

Here we go!

This is why I upgraded the processor a while back. I am now clean installing Windows 11.

*posting this from my phone... 

Yes, it’s been a while….

Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve written here. Sometimes in life you go through it, get caught up in the moment, and in the end, there is nothing going on that is worth writing about. It’s important, but I’ve written about it before, or to write about it would be TMI….

My vacation is in a little less than two weeks. After I had the original days approved, I realized that I would have enough PTO for an extra day, which I booked and my boss approved. So I have that to look forward to.

Got my haircut last week. So I’ve gone from rockstar long to Marine Boot Camp. And since I got right at the start of last week’s heat wave I felt much more comfortable than before. There is nothing like having all of your hats fit again…

Rebuilt my system a couple of weeks ago. Wiped everything. Reinstalled everything from scratch (as in I redownloaded all of my games from GOG, Ubisoft, and Origin as well as Steam, Spamazon, and Epic). And now Flight Stimulator X keeps crashing every time I try to fly it. So back to the old drawing board….

Pissed off a Door Dasher Monday Night…

Got home from work Monday. Immediately ordered for delivery from Target. Arrived without any issues. Now, Target uses Shipt. Basically, you place your order through Target.com, and the delivery driver will go to the store and shop the order for you. If there out of something, they’ll text you in real-time to find a sub. I’ve never had a problem with the serivce. In fact, I alway give a minimum of a 20% tip.

At the same time, I also ordered for a delivery from Wally World. They do delivery orders differently. When you place the order, it is ‘shopped’ by a store employee, and then staged for the delivery driver, usually DoorDash. They were booked up for deliveries (it was the Fourth, after all), so I booked it for the evening, between 9-10. At 9:15, I was notified that the driver was underway. At 9:39, the order was updated to indicate that it was delivered. It wasn’t. I went back to my computer, logged in and saw that it was indicating that it had already been delivered. So I left a one star rating reflecting non-delivery and cancelled my tip. Of course, it showed up right after I did this. Was I over-reacting? Possibly. But then again I had the same issue with UPS and my cell phone this spring. I guess it boils down to accountability. Don’t say that you’ve done the task until you’ve actually done it. If I pulled that stunt at work, it would not bode well for me.

So, I pissed off a Door Dasher. And don’t order same day delivery from Wally World.

Summer begins…

Summer began yesterday. In western Washington, Summer always begins the day after the Fourth. For some reason it always rains on the Fourth. We should sunny weather until the Hydroplane Races, where it will rain. Then, the sun will resume until the day before my birthday, as it always rains on my birthday. It will actually be several days of rainy weather, as not only will it be my birthday, but I will be on vacation as well, and it rains even worse when I have the day off….

Happy Anniversary. Kinda…

5 years ago I was fired. I’ve since moved on. Landed with my current employer (which btw I’ve spent more time at my current job than I spent at Home Depot). I’m not complaining about it anymore. Other than to say to my former co-workers that Pearl Harbor sucked…

‘Murica! F*ck Yeah!

Today is the Fourth. When we commemorate George Washington defeating Genghis Khan and Rodan. Most people tend to celebrate it by getting drunk and blowing themselves up. However, recent Supreme Court rulings have put a damper on it for some of us.  But I’ll save my comments on Abortion for later. Tonight, I’ll celebrate by watching the trained professionals blow themselves up on TV….

All done by 3 am….

So my weekend started Monday morning. And I usually end up spreading my essential errands over the entire weekend. This weekend was different. Got home. Immediately placed a delivery order for my groceries. Got them delivered and put away. Normally I dilly-dally around till mid to late afternoon (especially the past couple of weeks, when I was working on my computer). But Monday, I went to bed at my usual time for a worknight. Got up at  8. And then I decided to to laundry early. Had it done by midnight. Washed a few dishes. And all of my weekend errands were done by 3 am. Yesterday, I was going to go to lunch with Dad, but that plan fell through. My brother was going to reschedule it for today, but I wasn’t going to make it because of my work schedule (I call out from work way too much as it is)…

And then I spent the remaining day and a half really bored…

An arrival.

I think summer has finally arrived. It is now warm enough outside that I need the AC in  my room. Like I mentioned last week, it started working again. Had it not worked, my plan was to take the AC from the living room (which was Mom’s old portable unit, which also was given to me specifically when she passed).

Anyway, the door is closed, and the AC is on. Cooling season is upon us…

Finished for now….

Ok, at 1:30 this morning, I finished reinstalling everything on my computer, after the latest round of hardware upgrades. Now when I switch to Windows 11, I’ll be able to run Android apps under Windows.But I will run Windows 10 for now.

And more importantly, I’ll try to stop tinkering with what’s inside my computer. If it ain’t broke, then I shouldn’t try to fix it…

So, what all happened tonight?

I get up, jump in the shower, and then head out to work. Get on my first bus, and get off the bus in downtown Tacoma. Then I’m waiting for my connection to get me to work. That bus pulls up, and I start walking towards the shelter (it was rather crowded, and I wanted to keep a distance). The bus rolls up, and then rolls out, without completely stopping or opening the door. I missed the bus. And I can’t afford to Uber it to work (I had paid my bills Sunday night, and so my checking account was depleted). So I’ve called out. Don’t want to, but I had no choice.

Sorry, coworkers.

It works!

My portable AC died a couple of weeks ago. Unplugged it, plugged it back in. And it didn’t work. So I unplugged it for good, and used my old window fan (that my brother got me back in 2003 when we were living in Puyallup). The weather has been extremely cool of late, so it sufficed. At the time, by the time I got that situation straightened out, it was 5:30 in the afternoon, and there was no way that I was going to get any sleep (my alarm goes off at 7 on weeknights), so I preemptively called out of work. I am a firm believer in it’s better to be absent than be a zombie.

Fast forward to this morning. Computer rebuild is progressing, currently downloading all my Epic Games Store games (seriously, you can score some really good games for free from them). The new processor and heatsink are working (though I’m going to hold on to the old parts, as they still work)…. Anyway, it comes time to get ready for bed, and I thought why not try the air conditioner again. Plugged it in, and it turned on. So, I’ve set it back up again.

It still works. Which is good, as I can’t afford to replace it…

Solving one problem after another….

So, all the parts that I ordered 2 weeks ago arrived. And I put them in. And it has seemed like there has been one problem after another….

So last week, I put the new hard drive in and the other SSD. The hard drive wasn’t the issue at the time. Except for the fact that I knocked a couple of power cables looses, and when I turn the computer on I was two drives short. So I had to take the tower apart to plug them back in. And to install the SSD, since the motherboard’s design has a heatsink that covers them both, I had to take off my expansion cards to install it (not really that big of an issue as it was just a video card and my tv tuner). And M2 screws are tiny. Then came the cpu cooler (the ‘new’ cpu hadn’t arrived yet). I gave up on it. With the way it was designed, I figured the risk was too great that I would crack or damage my motherboard before I got it on….

EDIT: right after I gave up in this CPU cooler, I ordered a cheap one from Rosewill, which shipped from Newegg. I thought it was going to be a challenge to install it, but it turned out to be almost as easy as the Wraith Prism. And as an added bonus, my ‘new’ Ryzen 7 3800X is about 20 degrees cooler now. It doesn’t have an RGB set up like the other one, but I don’t need it. It does have a blue led on it, so I can see if it’s working.

So this week, I got the processor I ordered. Relatively quick and painless install. And then I turned the tower back on. Had to make a change in the BIOS. Ended up having to flash a new BIOS. But I finally got the processor installed. Then I came time to install Windows 10. So I put the tower back in its place, untangling the rat’s nest of usb cables. Plugged in the usb flash drive to install Windows, and when I selected the drive, I get another error.This one was easy. After a simple google search, I just pulled out the flash drive and plugged it back in, and I was able to proceed. The rest of the windows install was relatively quiet, except when it came time to set the account up. This time instead of entering your Microsoft credentials, or selecting an offline account (which is what I prefer, then I’ll sign in with my Microsoft account), it was asking for my homedreams.com.au account credentials. Which I obviously didn’t have. Solution: start the software installation over, but this time, unplug the network cable and once you get your offline account set up, then plug it back in.

The last problem I’ve so far was when I was installing my game controllers. I just needed to plug the USB hub into a different port…..

The moral of the story is that the more you upgrade your computer, the more likely you’re going to break it…

New? or Used?

Found a deal for a Ryzen 7 3800X. So I pulled the trigger. But it’s used. But hey, when I built my tower originally I used a not-new processor. But it’s still a generation better than what I’m running now (Ryzen 7 2700X). And I found a deal on Spamazon for a 8 TB hard drive. And if I’m going to buy a new CPU, I might as well upgrade the cooler, too. The Wraith Prism that came with the 2700X works well, but I wanted something heftier.

What this also means is that the PCIE 4.0 SSD that I bought last fall but I didn’t install will be getting installed. And my system will be ready for running Android apps in Windows 11, which I’ve already confirmed that I have a valid license for…

I guess my computer is getting some upgrades. And there are times when it makes sense to buy used…

Got around to taking a trip…

(Quick recap)

About a year ago, the Mrs. Fields I worked at closed, as  the owner wanted to move on, and he bought a 7-11 in Sumner. And he routinely gets on my case to visit him.

(/Quick recap)

So a few weeks back, I proposed a gentleman’s bet with him over an IPL match. We chose teams and whosever team lost, that person would buy the coffee. I lost. So I had to come down to Sumner. While there is bus service to Sumner, it is essentially limited to the Sumner Sounder Station, and where his 7-11 is located is about an hours’ walk from it. So, it’s an Uber to get there….

Come Monday morning, I got off work, and got on a different bus home. This one went to Puyallup. Got off in Puyallup, ordered my Uber. $20 bucks. Actually $25 since I tip. And I got out there. And bought a coffee. From Starbucks. And we talked. He tried to get me to work for him. Hard Pass. I like him as a friend, but the location is a major issue. I would seriously consider it if I could get a bus out there. Anyway, it was time to go. I ordered an Uber to go home. $30+ (again I always tip). He gave me $20 to cover part of my costs, and a cookie. The cookie was disappointing (26+ years at Mrs. Fields did that)…

It’s good to visit my friend. However, due to the expense involved, it is not something I can do every week. But rest assured, I will be back.

So I sent an email a couple of weeks ago…

So I sent T-Mobile an Executive Email Carpet Bomb a few weeks ago (normally this would be to Sprint, but as we all know, Sprint and T-Mobile have merged) regarding my issues with my phone rebate. There was a meeting of the heads, and after explicitly explaining to them why there will be no phone calls (all correspondence in writing, something to do with this). And so after a day or so, I got a reply that they were putting the discount back on my discount. I actually got it twice. The first time was from the email. The second time was from the Twitter dm thread that I was also trying at the time to straighten it out with (I sent a copy of the email to them as a ‘Hail Mary’ attempt. It worked as well).

So, I just got my bill. It has my phone installment at $50.00/month. Plus the $33.33/month trade-in credit. Plus 2 $33.33/month courtesy credits, one from the twitter dm, and one from the executive email. Now a part of me said to say nothing and enjoy the phone for free + 50 in bill credits, but eventually it’ll get found out, and it won’t be pleasant. Besides, integrity is a two-way street. If I’m going to hold T-Mobile to their terms, then I have to hold myself to them as well. So I sent another email asking to take two of the discounts off.

Today’s lesson is Honesty is the Best Policy.

May the Schwartz be with you…

May 4th today. May the Schwartz be with you.

So T-Mobile has now decided that they didn’t receive my phone in time, and the promo that I was using had expired before I received it. I ordered it on Feb 19th (the promo ended on the 24th). I made my first payment that day. The phone shipped on the 26th, and arrived on the 2dn of March. I shipped my old phone on March 8th, and it arrived on Mar 11th. Last Thursday, I received a text from T-Mobile indicating that they didn’t receive my old phone, and that the deal was off. Yesterday, I spent too much time chatting online with Sprint's customer service, and playing twitter dm tag with T-mobile trying to get this figured out. Finally, last night, I saw that most of T-Mobile’s executives are on Twitter, and from my previous experience I know that T-Mobile executives have a firstname.lastname(at)t-mobile.com formula, I sent out an Executive Email Carpet Bomb. Maybe they’ll get the point. Maybe not. If that’s the case, there’s always the state attorney general’s office…

No Wally World Run Today…

I was going to go to Wally World this morning. But I realized I needed more than one day without shoes, and I really didn’t need anything at this time. Remember, I still have a blister on my foot. And besides, Target delivers. As does Wally World….

Begin: Weekend….

Yes, it’s been a while:

My USB hub died. Not really, but it would cut out whenever I plugged in the electrical cord. Found a replacement, but there was some reorganization neccasary since I had to go from a 10 port to a 7 port. Ended up retiring a game controller, but the wireless one that I bought when I thought I needed to replace it will work well. And it turns out that I had a cable plugged into it that went no where (it was for a printer that now connects wirelessly)….

One or more of my shoes has given me a blister. So this weekend will be ‘shoes off’ with the exception of my Wally World run tomorrow morning. I’ve already had my Target run delivered (and they shorted me on a 12 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper)….

Calling Accuweather’s bluff….

According to Accuweather, Friday is going to hit 74. They were right with the windstorm, so I’m going to call their bluff, and I’ve set up the AC in my room already. Along with this, I decided to clear the junk off of my easy chair, and around said chair. I’ve:

• found the Seattle Kaken hat that my sister got me for Christmas.
• found my Festivus stocking cap that’s been missing for 5 years.
• Discovered 3 sets of headphones, most of which were impulse bought at  Worst Buy, and they’re going in the trash.
• found whole shitload of usb cables. Into the Drawer with them.
• discovered some cheap Home Depot swag from when I worked there. The fact that I dug them from behind the chair shows how much I used them. Trashed.
• found most of my missing socks. Into the laundry basket.
• Discovered a package of beef jerky from a shopping trip last fall. It was unopened, so I have no doubt as to it’s fitness for consumption. But still, into the trash…

And I just went through the Drawer, too. Cleared out:

• The original 56k modem that my first Gateway came with.
• The RAM from the computer that replaced the Gateway.
• A very old tablet.
• Various and Sundry cases to phones that are no longer used.
• Miscellaneous video cables. I’ve now realized that most monitors will supply the cables that you need…
• A manual to a joystick that I wish I still had…
• The manual to Combat Flight Simulator. The original one. I still have the game.
• At least one cable remote. In 2015, my brother and I went to the X1 system, and this remote was from the previous box. And Xfinity at the time said that they were now free. I now have three X1 compatible remotes in my room (they give you a new one every time you replace your box, and apparently they aren’t to keen on them being returned.

And lastly, I pitched the wireless charger I got a few weeks ago. I got it because it was advertised as charging both my phone and my buds wirelessly at the same time. But I could never get it to work. It would charge for a few minutes, then flash ‘error’. I’m not complaining to Newegg about it, since they went above and beyond with their customer service when UPS decided to fuck up the delivery. The second that they shipped me is still in the shipping box, and will probably be given away at Christmas. As for me, I found another charger at Spamazon, and it works even better.

Now to go throw out the two bags of garbage….

Power went out yesterday. Twice….

So Saturday night, I get a high wind warning from the Accuweather app on my phone. And it was accurate. Power went out twice here. I went to bed at about 1:30 after putting away my grocery order from Wally World (an adventure in and of itself). At about 5:30, I woke up with the power out. Got up, and came out to the sight of my brother finishing off the last of a tray of cinnamon rolls that I had just bought that day. Fifteen minutes later the power came back on and I went back to bed. Evidently the power went back out while I was sleeping as I was woken up by my nightstand fan turning back on when the power came back on. The storm has passed, so I don’t think it’ll go out again. But now is also a good time to make sure my gadgets are fully charged (namely my 30,000 miliamp powerbank)…

Had to replace my mouse. I had noticed in the past weeks that my primary ‘click’ button was inadvertently double-clicking when I wanted to single-click. Probably a dirty contact switch. But with the way the mouse (Logitech G604) is built it is not very feasible to take it apart to clean it. However, it was on sale at the Logitech website, so I ordered another one….

All I’m going to say about the brouhaha between Will Smith and Chris Rock is that they’re both wrong. Chris Rock was wrong to joke about somebody’s medical condition. And Will Smith was wrong to resort to violence over it…

And it’s over…

Australia just won the match. It took an entire vacation, but I’ve now watched a Test Cricket match from first delivery to the final wicket.

And I still have a T20 attention span…

The Last Day Of My Vacation.

And I’m currently watching the last session of the third Test between Australia and Pakistan. It looks like Australia will win this one. I also finished rebuilding my computer, which I started when I got home from work Sunday morning. And this time, I’ve made sure to do a back up of my start menu shortcuts (which is why I had to do it, the ones that weren’t in a folder disappeared). Did my laundry last night, so I don’t have to worry about it.

Next weekend’s agenda has been set. I’m setting up my Air Conditioner again. It’s just the beginning of Spring, but I have a westward facing window in my room, and it’s beginning to get rather warm in my room in the afternoon, when I should be sleeping. I could open my window, but Pacific Avenue is a rather noisy place during the day.

But tomorrow it’s back to work. For only 3 days, then back to my regularly scheduled programming….

Vacation Day 4: Report…

Ok, when I started my vacation Sunday morning, I placed a delivery order from Wally World. I placed a drinks from 7-11 via UberEats Tuesday night. And today I’ve just placed another delivery from Target. There are added costs for delivery, but the trade-off is that I can stay home.

Saw day 4 of the Australia vs Pakistan test last night. Between the lunch break and the tea break (yes, in cricket they stop play for tea), I did my laundry for the week.

And I continued reinstalling my software. Wednesday I installed my Origin and my Epic Games. And I cheated. Since I have multiple hard drives & they were being installed to separate drives, I was able to multitask and install them both simultaneously. Last night, I tried that with my Amazon and Ubisoft games. Didn’t go over as well. Several crashes and 1 Blue Screen Of Death. But I got them reinstalled. Next up it was my GOG games library. And now I’m currently downloading my Steam games….

Vacation Day 3: Report

Watched day 3 of the Pakistan/Australia test. Just for the record, I did not know the Test match was scheduled when I booked the vacation. It was just a coincidence. But this was one of my many ‘bucket list’ items: to watch a Test cricket match from start to finish…

I would’ve written this post this morning, but a nap attack and some computer problems led to me retiring early.

As for my computer problems, it just became slow. Nothing would respond. First instinct was to reboot it. But I just had a nap attack, so I was going to bed. So I just turned it off (through windows). And it hung on the shutdown screen. And hung. And hung. So I used the reset button on my tower, which normally overrrides whatever the OS is doing and reboots the motherboard/system. And then I got the ‘no OS’ error from the motherboard. Pulled out my Windows 10 thumbdrive, and attempted a startup repair. No dice. Rebooted into BIOS to boot directly into my SSD (where windows was installed), and my drive wasn’t even there. And then, on a hunch, I turned it off completely. Counted to 3 then turned it back on. And it worked. Installed the latest update from Windows Update, turned it off and went back to bed. Moral of the story: the ‘reset’ button on my tower has it’s uses, but I’m better using the power switch if I need to hard shutdown my system….

My agenda for day 4 of my vacation: Day 4 of the test match.

Vacation Day 3….

It’s starting to get warm here. A sign of the arrival of spring. I think the AC might be getting set up shortly, as I have difficulty sleeping when it’s warm. Got up today and I did not order Uber Eats straight out of bed (a necessity as most restaurants close right when I wake up). It’s a good thing as my brother decided that it was Spaghetti night. He may not believe it, but he is a good cook. Then again I also make it a point to not complain about cooking if I didn’t cook it….

Tonight, it will be day 3 of Pakistan vs. Australia Test 3.

Happy Pakistan Day to those inclined to celebrate it…

Vacation Day 2: Report….

Watched day 2 of Australia vs. Pakistan, Test 3. Well for the most part. I lost cable service during the second session.

I also fixed the issue with my computer losing the desktop icons ( and all the control panel applets). What I did was to simply start off with the previous version of Windows 10. Then I applied my tweaks (using winaero tweaker). And when the icons disappeared, I simply upgraded to the current version, which restored the missing icons…

Vacation Day 1: Report

Saw day one of the Test match between Australia and Pakistan. And I trekked the wrong setting on my computer. System restore hung on me. But I've got backups. But this also means back to square 1. Oh well. I guess I'm ocd that way. It had to be done exactly right, or I'm not going to halt about it.... 

Vacation: Commence!

So a couple of weeks ago (more like 3 or so), I decided I needed some time off. So I went to personnel, sat down at a computer, and booked 3 days off. And two hours later, it was approved. So here I am, with 3 days off in addition to my weekend. And I'm starting it with binge watching Discovery+....

And I should add that I'm writing this from my phone. For reasons, I wiped my computer... 

Day 5, Session 3

Australia vs. Pakistan. It's day 5, session 3 with 10 overs and change to go. Who knew Test cricket could be so thrilling? 

Beware The Idiots Of March!

It is March 15 today. In an presidential election year, this is when primaries are starting, and so you see all the candidates. Hence beware the idiots of march. It’s just the mid-terms this year, Chances are that DC will still remain another partisan farce. So I’m just going to cast my ballot in 6 months and resume changing the channel whenever something political comes on….

So, after my last post, I stayed up all day, tracking my delivery in real time. At about 6:30 pm, my package status was ‘delivered’. I use that term closely because according to real-time tracking, the UPS truck was in the apartment complex right next to me. My roommate (brother) was out in our apartment parking lot taking a smoke break, and he never saw the UPS van. Needless to say, I was not happy. And T-Mobile still has piss-poor customer service. Went to UPS, and they told me to go pound sand. Finally, I went to the Sprint website, and found someone with a clue. They told me to file a police report, par for the course for a $1300 cell phone. So I called the non-emergency number, and they told me I could file the report online. So I did, and went to bed. Woke up to an email from the Pierce County Sherriff with a case number. And my phone. It was delivered. A day after it was marked as delivered. And after I reported it to the police. So I let UPS know that. After another chat with Sprint to make sure that it was kosher, I activated it.

And to think the previous week, I had a UPS delivery with no issues. You’d think that this would be a one time occurrence, but l ordered a wireless charger from Newegg last week, and they shipped brown. Guess what. UPS says it was left at my doorstep, but it wasn’t. My brother was waiting for a shipment himself, and there was no knock at the door. Newegg has my claim, and there is now an investigation. Hopefully a UPS driver gets fired over this…

Arriving tomorrow…

My new phone arrives tomorrow. I already have 3 cases and I’ve ordered an OtterBox for it as well. And since this phone doesn’t have a headphone jack, I ordered a set of Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro wireless headphones. They support wireless charging. But my wireless chargers won’t work with them (because they’re cradles and not lie flat). But another trip into The Drawer found the original wireless charger that I first bought when I originally got the Note 9 (also happens to be Samsung branded…). Yes it’s an older charger, but it still works…

I think a nap is in order so I can stay up all day to wait for the UPS guy…

Cousin got married Sunday…

My cousin got married on Sunday. My brother and myself were invited. Neither of us could attend (myself being because I had to burn all my remaining vacation time when I had to call out from work for the Christmas day snowstorms). But there were registered at Spamazon so I got the wedding presents taken care of. And I did privately congratulate her. Especially since she got married on what would’ve been Mother’s 75th birthday.

May Barbara Bryant spend all eternity frolicking in The Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory. Ramen.

Replacing it after only 3 weeks…

If you remember, I recently went from my Motorola Razr 2020 back to my Samsung Galaxy Note 9. As of this writing, it is still supported (as in still getting updates). It is also still for sale (currently listed on various and sundry websites for about $400 and change). T-Mobile currently is having a promo wherein you can get about $800 off your next Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. So trade in my old phone (currently retailing for $400) for $800 off my new phone.  Some of these decisions just make themselves. So I’ve pre-ordered a Galaxy S22 Ultra, and I will be trading in my Galaxy Note 9.

This is why I always invest in a case for my phone. Cracked screens just kill resale/trade-in value…

Tax Refund Arrived Tonight…

Tax refund arrived tonight. And it’s already gone. It’s the day before payday, and I had bills that were already budgeted to be paid out of it. I just got an early start on it….

Second day of my weekend here. Stayed home all day. Got up for 4 hours. And then took a 4 hour nap. Hopefully I won’t oversleep for work tonight…

Had to buy a new watch….

So Saturday night, I was getting ready for work, and I put my watch on. And the strap broke. I had another one, but it was a cheap Wally World model that I didn’t even remember how to reset. I needed something simple. Just something to look down at when I’m at work to see if it’s time for lunch and/or breaks (state law requires them, and current employer is very fastidious about us taking them). So I have to buy a new watch. Due to the f*cked up bus schedules, I only use the bus for wither work or to go to the Spanaway Wally World. And I just spent over $200 at that Wal-Mart yesterday to have my grocery order delivered. Well I may have to bite the bullet and go shopping. I was thinking of where I could go, and I realized that Dad gave me a Spamazon gift card for Christmas this year, and that’s where I could order it. So, I’m saved a trip that I don’t really want to take. And considering where I could’ve gone, I can avoid relapsing on certain obsessions that are best given a wide berth…

BTW, my tax refund has been approved. I should arrive this week…

About tonight….

If you remember that one night when I had a hypoglycemic episode right when I woke up for work…. Well:

Last night/during today (remember I sleep during the day), I was getting up to pee every two hours. Normally that’s a clear as day sign that my blood sugar was way too high. So, I took an insulin shot to correct it and went back to bed. About 10 minutes before my alarm was to go off, I woke up sweating profusely and confused (like I couldn’t clear the notifications on my phone confused). Normally that’s a hallmark of my sugar levels being too low (most likely I overshot my insulin dose). However I couldn’t put 2 and 2 together owing to the aforementioned confusion. 10 minutes later, my alarm went off. So I snoozed it, turned over and went back to sleep (normally I snooze it for a half hour, something I factor in when I set my alarm). Three hours later, I woke up. I had already missed my bus, and I was about 10 minutes out from missing the last bus of the night, and I wasn’t going to be able to cycle from deep asleep to out the door in that time. Uber is out of the question (too expensive), so I called out for tonight.

Normally when I call out from work, I keep radio silence online, but I thought I’d post this tonight. Sorry, coworkers….

New phone at work…

So I was issued a new cell phone at work. It will be replacing all of our hand-held terminals, our walkie-talkies, and our time clocks. Most of what I need to do on it I can already do on my existing Galaxy Note 9 via the app that I’ve downloaded from Google Play. But they said that this new phone is now part of our work uniforms, so I will have to keep it on me.

In case you’re wondering its a Samsung Galaxy Pro Xcover. It actually hasn’t been activated with regular service yet (it only works on wi-fi). We are allowed to install our own apps on it, and if we want to, we can also activate our own service on it. I had it on my home w-fi Sunday morning to update some apps on it and I wasn’t too thrilled with some of the location tracking settings on it. Needless to say, as soon as I clock out, it gets turned off, and it’ll be turn on when I clock in the next day…

This is the way…

Just saw the finale of The Book Of Boba Fett. Spoilers follow:

• Who knew that the real villain was William Shatner?
• Epic, gratuitous full frontal nudity!
• When Jesse Pinkman and Walter White show up, rig a bomb, and it blows off half of Moff Gideon’s face.
• The sing-a-longs. Let It Go is best sung in Tusken.

Of course I’m not really going to spoil it. Just watch it. Then again, I will tell you how it ends:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Credits Roll…

Render Unto Ceaser, 2022 Edition

Did my taxes just now. Filed online. Did it for free with Cash App (used to do it through Credit Karma, but they sold their online tax filing business). IRS has already accepted it. Hooray…

3 hours or so ago….

Weekend is underway here. When I got up, I went to the grocery store. Awfully expensive just for a couple of items (just a couple of grab-and-go plates from the Chinese counter, a pack of sandwiches from the deli, diet beverages, and Full Throttle) came to $30. No late nite TV tonight. Tonight Showis preempted by the Olympics (which given China’s human rights record, I will not be watching), and The Late Show is on vacation. So, I decided to be productive tonight. Laundry needs to be done. Wento the kitchen to get the Tide and the Downy. Saw all the dirty dishes. Washed them. Needed a cup coffee (notwithstanding the Full Throttle from earlier). Brewed and drank said cup of coffee. Then I realized that the pants I was wearing needed to be washed, too. And I needed a shower. And I was hungry again. One thing led to another. And finally 20 minutes ago, I started the wash cycle.

It’s my day off. You can tell since it took three hours to finally start something I decided to do…. Later on will be a trip to Wally World to finish my grocery shopping and another vial of insulin. Further bulletins as events warrant….

A step back, but forward….

Last fall I dropped my phone at work. It still worked, but it took a divot out of the display. It wasn’t really noticeable, but it was still there. And finally last night, I decided to do something about it. I finally dug through the Drawer and pulled out my Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Went online to T-Mobile and activated it. Well, the phone was activated on my account, but if you remember when I got it, it was a Sprint phone. And since I originally got the phone, there was a merger, and Sprint’s network finally got canned. But a 20 minute walk to the T-Mobile store and a SIM card swap later, I was good to go.

Now this is a 3 year old phone, so it’s not the latest and greatest, especially when it comes to battery life. But I’ve got two power banks, and this phone supports wireless charging (and I never threw out my wireless chargers). And this phone supports iris scanning instead of facial scanning, which means I can still wear a mask while authenticating (and also while wearing gloves).

It’s a step back. But it’s also a step forward…. At least until I pay off the Razr. And I might stick with this phone for a while after that. After all, it does have a separate headphone jack….

First time in 2 months…

I wiped my computer Monday. All the previous times I did it, it seemed like there were issues that always crept up, and ultimately it would take my multiple tries. This time, it only took one attempt. But still it won’t be until well into next week that I’ll be done reinstalling everything….

Once again, if it ain’t broke then stop trying to fix it…

If you’re ubering Uni Teriyaki….

Day 2 of my weekend here. Did my Wally World run (normally I’d prefer delivery, but you can only get insulin in person). Came home and then decide to uber in. And I ubered Uni Teriyaki. Ate the gyoza right away, but I got full before I could tuck into the chicken and beef teriyaki. So it went into the fridge. Got up tonight, and threw it into the microwave. If you’re ubering Uni Teriyaki, it does ‘nuke’ very well.

And if you’re keeping score at home, Uni Teriyaki is a teriyaki place right by the PLU campus….

So one of my friends has a blog....

 First of all, it's my weekend once again. Went to bed early, and I got up early. Early enough to Uber in from the Mexican place right by my house. And then I realized I could pick it up myself and save the delivery fee and tip. So I went for the pick up option. 5 minutes later, before I could put my pants on, my phone beeped that the order was ready. But I still took my time getting dressed. The cooks at El Toro are very good at making sure everything is adequately cooked (to the point of Old Testament Style: served while the pillar of smoke rises to The Holy One). So I go, get my Mexican ate half of it right away, the other half went into the fridge).

So, on to the rest of my 'day' off. One of my friends on Facebook has started his own blog here. I highly recommend you go read it...

Thought about wiping my system completely this week, but if it ain't broke, and you're only going to end up back in the same configuration, then there's no point. I am however spending the next 18+ hours backing everything up to my external hard drive...

Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot, 2021 Late Edition…

Well, 2021 ended a couple of days ago. I was in the middle of the work week, so I couldn’t write this post on New Years’ Eve, as I am want to:

• Grandma Bryant died in January. Due to Covid, the Celebration of Life wasn’t until the Big Bryant Family Reunion on Christmas Eve. Which I didn’t go to (due to aforementioned Covid), but they set up a Google Meet call, so I could attend virutally. A couple of other cousins ‘remoted in’ as well. Got to use my really expensive web cam.
• My Tower’s power supply went, and I upgraded my hard drives, while I was replacing it as well.
• A few months later, I fried my motherboard, and I replaced the whole lot. I also had to replace my boot SSD. Basically a new computer.
• One of the hard drives I ‘upgraded’ turned out to be a dud.
• The Mrs. Fields closed. So, I guess I only have one job now.
• Got Covid. Recovered from same. Got vaccinated. And boosted. I highly recommend the vaccine. Covid is not something to be taken lightly.
• Got a job offer, and I had to pass on it.
• 5 pairs of shoes and counting.
• Added a second monitor.

Of course there was the January 6 insurrection, Betty White’s passing, Bob Dole’s passing, the Chauvin verdict (guilty), the Arbery verdict (guilty), Biden getting sworn in, Windows 11 coming out (stick with Windows 10 for now), Jon Madden’s passing, and whole other shit-load of stuff.2021 is behind us. On to 2022.