Nearly Normal

I suck at math

specifically at multiplication and division.  Yes me a former budget analyst can't do 3rd grade math in my head anymore.  Thank you American Express.  It's a long story and I'm not going there.

I've discovered two new wonderful sites lumocity and kahn academy that have pointed out to me that I can no longer do simple math.  Lumocity is more fun, their slogan is "reclaim your brain".  Kahn academy is more like having a tutor.

Oh, I also had reinforced that I can't spell my way out of a paper bag.  I already knew that.  Spoken language is not a problem ask Larry but spelling that's an entirely different country.  Thank goodness for spell check.

Well we'll have to see about that.

I'm been meaning to start some seeds for a few weeks now.  I have this cool little green house that I found at Big Lots and lots of seeds I got from the Seedbank.

Today I finally got them in the seed starter.  Lemon cucumbers, asian trio eggplant, san Marzano tomatoes and white tomatoes.  Also flowers, lots and lots of different flowers to spice up the yard in a few months.  I have no clue where I'm going to plant all the veggies once they spring up as my raised beds have long since been invaded by wild berry bushes.  I guess they'll end up tucked among the flowers.  What an interesting looking garden that will make.

My poor garden has suffered greatly since I was diagnosed with cancer - 6 years ago tomorrow - as I said the blackberries have invaded almost everywhere.  It is disheartening to work on one section of the great wall of Mill Creek only to look down it's 140ft length and see endless berries in front of you.  But one of these days I WILL get them all out and reclaim my beloved garden.

Thanks for the inspiration mfamama.  Here's to gardening with dirt under your nails.

ear drum - one

Me - teeny, tiny tube in my ear.  You know the kind they put in toddler's ears so they don't keep getting infected.  Yes the ear drum that has ruptured twice since January still has fluid behind it, fluid with air bubbles no less.  This is even after a cycle of Prednisone to try and quell the inflammation.  So today I opted to have a tube put in to help.  My other option was wait, as in it might clear up on it's own.  I'm tired of waiting for it to clear up on it's own.  I decided it needed a bit of aid and assistance.  Hopefully this will restore my already imperfect hearing to it's former less imperfect level.

Excellent advice by way of facebook

While reading my facebook page this morning I came across this article .  Very sound advice but number 7 did make me pause.  Oh well too late to accomplish number 7.

Thank you Julie

the zen of painting part 2

Yesteray I achieved zen while painting.  It was a beautiful sunny day and I knew that we were going to friends for a wonderful dinner - lobster pizza in fact.  OMG YUM.

Painting was actually, read almost, fun.  I was by myself enjoying the birds singing and the bees buzzing while a delight breeze played upon my face.  Like I said almost fun.  Today was a close second.

The whole zen of painting thing

I didn't get there.

We're working on one of our rentals.  The previous tenant just trashed it.  We're trying to untrash it.  To that end I painted the floor of the small bedroom.  Not bad, satisfaction of a job well done, etc.

Then I moved on to one of the outside walls.  I tried to go all zen with the painting really find some space where I was not cursing said tenant the entire time I was painting, not so much.  Next I tackled another outside wall which needed patches primed before it can be painted, again no zen.

I've come to the conclusion that painting in this particular place is always going to suck no matter what.  Too bad I still have the kitchen to paint - curses.

images

Earlier today I was sitting a the computer trying to find programmable thermostats, very exciting pursuit let me tell you.  It's been raining here for days and as I was typing to most beautiful ray of sunshine came in through my window.

It's food for the soul.

Apple you need some quality control

Dear Apple,

You know I love you.  However, I had to replace my keyboard and mouse a couple of weeks ago, there was an unfortunate incident with the previous ones.

I am now on my second replacement keyboard - soon to be my third - because of a misprogramming in the f function keys.  You see when I try to turn the sound up I get the weather, clock and calculator.  When I try to turn the sound down my internet screen goes away or comes back as the case may be.  When I try to turn off the sound I get a split screen.

Apple WTF?

Sincerely

This email left me speechless and that's almost impossible

While my love sleeps on the couch, I sit at the computer getting outraged at the news.  Today I received this email from ThinkProgress

“Where are the women?” With those four words, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) made the most poignant statement of the week about the House GOP’s attitude towards women. The simple answer to Maloney’s question is that women are being callously left out and left behind by the right wing.

According to a recent Democracy Corps survey, there’s been a net 18-point swing away from Mitt Romney in favor President Obama among unmarried women in the past few months. Why? Because women have been watching and listening to conservatives. Here’s a sampling of what we heard just this past week:

GOP Chairman Darrell Issa defending the exclusion of a woman from his all-male panel on contraception: She’s not “appropriate and qualified.” [Read more]
Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld explaining why “liberals” support contraception coverage: “It’s more about getting rid of the poor.” [Read more]

Right-wing billionaire Foster Friess delivering his contraception advice on MSNBC: “You know, back in my days, they used Bayer Aspirin for contraceptives. The gals put it between their knees and it wasn’t that costly.” [Read more]

Virginia Republican Delegate Todd Gilbert rationalizing a state-sponsored bill mandating vaginal probes: A woman already consented to being “vaginally penetrated when they got pregnant.” [Read more]

Fox News’ Liz Trotta justifies why some women are assaulted in the military: “Now what did they expect?” [Read more]

Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association on women in combat: “Women are not wired, either by evolution or by God…to be in those positions.” [Read more]

Rick Santorum explaining his concerns about women in combat: “People naturally may do things that may not be in the interests of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved.” [Read more]

At least they’re being honest about what they feel.

 

--Faiz
   Editor-in-Chief, ThinkProgress.org

Not sticking

Years ago someone told me that I'd become more conservative as I got older.  I'm proud to say that's not happening.