Your projects, what are you working on in your free time? Options

[Acadian]

Gosh, I hope their voter rolls are more accurate than the jury rolls!

*

I've had a passport since I first internationally traveled in the early 1960s. And I've renewed it every 10 years as it is getting ready to expire. Such was the occasion this summer. So when I put my passport renewal application together (with some fine help from the Department of State website and my local post office), I learned that the pandemic had pretty much shut them down for a time and they were way behind catching up. Their message was allow lots of time for processing. I sent off my package in mid June and the post office confirmed they delivered it a few days later. Then I notice that the check for my processing fee had cleared which was encouraging. Then I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, my shiny new passport arrived this past week. My point being that if you need to renew or obtain a US passport, allow lots of time at the moment. Lol.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

Project: Prepare state/county/local internet due taxes-due payment for internet purchases
Statue: Ready for posting
Did so first thing this morning, soon as the computer was up and running. As with several previous internet purchase tax-due payments, this one covers multiple months, Jun - Aug 2020 to be exact. Heck, I could have held out longer. But it gets harder to keep track of with every added month. As before, I owe only the county/local portion, state tax being applied at time of purchase.

Project: Apply for Jury Excusal for my mom
Status: Will Apply for Excusal this morning
My brother called yesterday, informing me that our mom has been selected for Jury Duty during Oct 2020. I'll call the number given on the summons soon as that department opens and apply for excusal on her behalf. Seeing as she's been dead these sixteen years I have hopes that my request will be granted. If not, I'll point out that, prior to her demise, she suffered seizures, wasn't allowed to drive a vehicle, and had hearing worse than mine. Death might have ended her seizures, but I can guaranty it hasn't done squat for her hearing.

(Why in the world is a 93 yr old women, which mom would be were she still with us, still on the summons list?)

How bizarre. I wonder if the summons could simply be ignored?

[Decrepit]

I called about mom's Jury Sommons. Interestingly, we're in the jury 'pool' as long as we live. However, the lady I spoke with says that old folk are excused without hassle if they request it. That of course isn't our issue. The lady implied that if I shot her an email stating that mom is deceased she'll remove her permanently from the pool. I did so, requesting email conformation. I've not yet heard back from her (or that office). If I get no email tomorrow I'll call again and make sure all's well.

Project: Pay 'City' utilities
Status: Done
I walked payment to City Hall this afternoon and dropped it down the 'chute'. (The office is closed to citizens for the duration of C19.) Short as it was, the walk took a lot out of me.

Project: Balance computerized Checking and Savings account ledgers
Status: Done
Did so this afternoon right after returning from Utility Payment run. Piece of cake. It always hurts to balance Savings. I'm old enough to remember when we got very good interest on Savings. Nowadays it's so minuscule I've stopped transferring funds from Checking to Savings. No real point in it anymore.

[Decrepit]

Project: Medical Appointment
Status: Done
A Pulmonology appointment to be exact. All went as expected (no significant changes, either good or ill). The worst part of the trip was getting into my car for the drive to the clinic. Due to heavy rains, water had crept up my driveway higher than my shoe tops on the driver's side of the car. Luckily, the driveway slants a bit so that the passenger side was enterable. Getting into driving position remained an issue. My poor decrepit knees and hips aren't sturdy/flexible enough to maneuver around the 'shifter' without a good bit of effort and no small amount of pain. I almost gave up the attempt and changed into tall rubber boots. My knees still bother me, so I suppose I should have done so.

Bought groceries on the way home. Nothing to report there except that those wretched looking shipped-in deli kiosk sammichs were nowhere to be seen. The store-made sammich I bought was yummy. Plenty of meat, and fresh bread! (I remove the pickles, as they are a migraine hazard.)

[mALX]

Project: 'emergency' Walmart run
Status: complete

I used the last of a jar of Sugar-Free Blueberry Jam during breakfast this morning. Fast-forward to lunch. I opened my kitchen pantry to grab another jar, the one bought this Monday. It wasn't there. In its place stood an unopened jar of WowButter, which I didn't need to buy this week. An obvious brain-fart mistake during this Monday's grocery run. My first thought was to do without until next week's run. I then recalled that, due to a Tuesday morning medical appointment, that run is postponed a day. Additionally, a kitchen overhead-light bulb went kaput yesterday. To my dismay, I was out of spare bulbs of the required wattage. Off to Walmart I went, for those two items plus a large 'paper clamp' to better secure one end of my computer desk LED lighting strip.

It's been a very long time since I last replaced a light-bulb. The world of lighting has changed since then. Mini florescents have disappeared from shelves, replaced by LED bulbs! Whether this is a good or bad thing I know not.

Bulb replacement was fraught with peril. A combination of owning only a tiny (maybe 2ft) step ladder, a life-long morbid fear of heights, and unsteady balance due to the ravages of age, led to it taking three attempts to complete the process. Attempt one, I successfully unscrewed the old bulb, but got to shaking so severely from being an additional two-feet off the ground atop a wobbly ladder that I couldn't properly thread the new bulb into its socket. I was too unnerved to navigate the ladder steps, so resorted to simply ignoring them, dropping to the floor, and hoping for the best. Scary, but it worked. Attempt two was aborted part way up the ladder due to nerves. Attempt three, I made it up the ladder, successfully screwed in the new bulb, and descended the ladder via its steps. Last time I replaced a bulb it wasn't anywhere near as big a deal. I was just as afraid of heights back then, and the step ladder was no taller or more sturdy. The difference is that I was some years younger and more hardy, better able to cope with and overcome my limitations. One thing for sure, I need a full-size, sturdy ladder before tackling anything like this again!

Adding the clamp to my computer-desk keyboard tray was no picnic either, the clamping being a bit to tall while attaching. Luckily, I could see that it would fit properly once attached and locked in place. Took a lot of fancy footwork and elbow grease to move it into position, but I managed it.

I'm going to need to get off my duff and finish researching currently available ergonomic keyboards. Typing this has caused the top of my right hand to ache.

Could your Brother come replace the bulbs for you? I can't reach mine at all; and climbing on top of the washing machine and dangling across from that height to reach the light was no option = I'd fall just thinking about it. I had to wait about a month for my son to replace the bulb in the utility room; and did all my laundry by the meager daylight coming from a very small window until he got around to it.

You should talk to the VA about that; they might have someone who can come do things like that for you. My friend locally that I play ESO with has the VA pay for people to come to her house and do most of her household chores because she just can't do them; (she was Navy).

Project: Prepare state/county/local internet due taxes-due payment for internet purchases
Statue: Ready for posting
Did so first thing this morning, soon as the computer was up and running. As with several previous internet purchase tax-due payments, this one covers multiple months, Jun - Aug 2020 to be exact. Heck, I could have held out longer. But it gets harder to keep track of with every added month. As before, I owe only the county/local portion, state tax being applied at time of purchase.

Project: Apply for Jury Excusal for my mom
Status: Will Apply for Excusal this morning
My brother called yesterday, informing me that our mom has been selected for Jury Duty during Oct 2020. I'll call the number given on the summons soon as that department opens and apply for excusal on her behalf. Seeing as she's been dead these sixteen years I have hopes that my request will be granted. If not, I'll point out that, prior to her demise, she suffered seizures, wasn't allowed to drive a vehicle, and had hearing worse than mine. Death might have ended her seizures, but I can guaranty it hasn't done squat for her hearing.

(Why in the world is a 93 yr old women, which mom would be were she still with us, still on the summons list?)

How odd is that? Someone slipped up on that one.

Gosh, I hope their voter rolls are more accurate than the jury rolls!

*

I've had a passport since I first internationally traveled in the early 1960s. And I've renewed it every 10 years as it is getting ready to expire. Such was the occasion this summer. So when I put my passport renewal application together (with some fine help from the Department of State website and my local post office), I learned that the pandemic had pretty much shut them down for a time and they were way behind catching up. Their message was allow lots of time for processing. I sent off my package in mid June and the post office confirmed they delivered it a few days later. Then I notice that the check for my processing fee had cleared which was encouraging. Then I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, my shiny new passport arrived this past week. My point being that if you need to renew or obtain a US passport, allow lots of time at the moment. Lol.

I really should do mine while this Covid is having them re-use the same photographs;

My driver's license renewal did use the same photo they had from the previous one; but unfortunately THAT one was one I would have liked to change; urgh. It looked like a Gary Busey Mug Shot pic or something!

I called about mom's Jury Sommons. Interestingly, we're in the jury 'pool' as long as we live. However, the lady I spoke with says that old folk are excused without hassle if they request it. That of course isn't our issue. The lady implied that if I shot her an email stating that mom is deceased she'll remove her permanently from the pool. I did so, requesting email conformation. I've not yet heard back from her (or that office). If I get no email tomorrow I'll call again and make sure all's well.

Project: Pay 'City' utilities
Status: Done
I walked payment to City Hall this afternoon and dropped it down the 'chute'. (The office is closed to citizens for the duration of C19.) Short as it was, the walk took a lot out of me.

Project: Balance computerized Checking and Savings account ledgers
Status: Done
Did so this afternoon right after returning from Utility Payment run. Piece of cake. It always hurts to balance Savings. I'm old enough to remember when we got very good interest on Savings. Nowadays it's so minuscule I've stopped transferring funds from Checking to Savings. No real point in it anymore.

BOLD: Agreed; not worth the effort for sure.

My Credit Union charges for sending paper statements; they want everyone to bank online now. I really like the paper statement; but didn't want to pay for it. So what I do is to take the "free" online banking option; but every time I visit the bank for anything I have them print me out a statement for the previous 2-3 months. It is actually costing them more to print them out for me each time than it would cost them to just give me the old free statement they used to give me.

Project: Medical Appointment
Status: Done
A Pulmonology appointment to be exact. All went as expected (no significant changes, either good or ill). The worst part of the trip was getting into my car for the drive to the clinic. Due to heavy rains, water had crept up my driveway higher than my shoe tops on the driver's side of the car. Luckily, the driveway slants a bit so that the passenger side was enterable. Getting into driving position remained an issue. My poor decrepit knees and hips aren't sturdy/flexible enough to maneuver around the 'shifter' without a good bit of effort and no small amount of pain. I almost gave up the attempt and changed into tall rubber boots. My knees still bother me, so I suppose I should have done so.

Bought groceries on the way home. Nothing to report there except that those wretched looking shipped-in deli kiosk sammichs were nowhere to be seen. The store-made sammich I bought was yummy. Plenty of meat, and fresh bread! (I remove the pickles, as they are a migraine hazard.)

I didn't know that about pickles! Is it from the extremely high sodium content?

[Decrepit]

I didn't know that about pickles! Is it from the extremely high sodium content?

<nods> They can be. These things can be tricky, as sufferers can be susceptible or immune to any given food/drink on any given trigger list. Here's the appropriate section of the first such list I found online:

Article Name: Foods That Trigger Migraines

"8. Pickled and fermented foods

Like aged cheeses, pickled and fermented foods can contain high amounts of tyramine. These foods include:

pickles
kimchi
kombucha (which can also have alcoholic content)
pickled okra
pickled jalapeños"

Those times I forget to remove pickles, I almost always get a 'buzzy' head and often a light headache that feels as if might develop into a migraine. Luckily, buzziness & minor head pain tend to vanish within a relative short time (an hour or two) without worsening or requiring treatment. They have, however, occasionally persisted and morphed into bona fide migraines. On those rare occasions I'm never sure if this is due to pickles alone, or pickles in conjunction with some other potential trigger.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Sep 5 2020, 09:37 PM

[Decrepit]

Project: circa 25min exercise-walk
Status: done and over with

This was my first full-duration exercise-walk since last summer's mowing-in-too-much-heat incident. There have been several aborted walking attempts in the interim, one late-fall 2019, one early spring 2020. During each of those, it was obvious very early on that I was in no way recovered enough to physically stress myself to any appreciable degree. As for today's walk, it didn't clear any of the constant grogginess I've experienced since waking this morning. My right knee bothered me more than years past. (Discounting those years both knees hurt so much I feared I was wheelchair bound.) But, I did walk the entire route at something approaching my 'normal' exercise-walk speed without huffing or puffing. That's an improvement. (I did not, however, attempt a short power-walk at route end, once common practice.)

My hope is that I'll feel up to walking again today, weather permitting. We shall see.

[treydog]

Project- Non-Elder Scrolls version of "Blood on the Moon", with the goal of publishing on Kindle Direct.

Working Title- "The Unnamed"

Current status- Almost 87000 words in, with some 75% being new material, mostly providing additional background, world-building, and integration of Athynae into the story from the beginning. That means Book 1- (working title, "Challenge Accepted") is 95% complete, plus approximately 25% of Book 2 (no title yet).

Projected- given word/page count of the original, plus continued expansion, likely 6+ full-length (200-300 Kindle page) novels, plus unknown number of collected shorter pieces.

Immediate goal- complete first draft of "Challenge Accepted", begin proof-reading and editing for consistency.

Excitement level on scale of 1 to 10- 8.5 = freaking out.

[SubRosa]

Good luck!

[Acadian]

Wow, sounds exciting, Trey. Hope all goes well. As SubRosa says, good luck!

[Decrepit]

Project: Select new Primary Care Physician
Status: Done

Did so this morning. Also deleted my old PCP at Medicare and entered new PCP. Unless something unexpected comes up, I won't see the new doc until this December.

Project: Cancel appt with old (retired) PCP
Status: Done

Duh!

Project: Exercise-walks
Status: Ongoing

This is the first day my walk felt 'comfortable'. Fluke? We shall see.

[Sakiri]

I'm afraid the voter rolls aren't much more accurate. My grandmother got stuff mailed to her for years after she died. Absentee ballots and stuff.

Not sure how either, I'm almost certain you have to request those.

We also have a bulb replacement on the cards, but it's a florescent tube.

I hate replacing those. Last one, we broke the prongs on it trying to fit it in. Bathroom has no light as a result.

Project: Blanket is moving along steadily.

https://imgur.com/a/ofZRM3j

Working this as a Christmas gift for my sister in law. She's going to love it.

Also, they had requested like 3 months for passport apps last I'd seen. And the embassy stopped taking appointments. And they still aren't taking renouncement appointments. -_-

[Decrepit]

Project: Exercise-walk
Status: ongoing

Today's walk didn't feel as 'comfortable' as yesterdays, but posed no difficulties. I miss being able to hear birds chirping atop street-side trees. Thankfully, I still hear approaching vehicles. And my ears ringing, of course. I can't decide whether that's gotten louder, or become more noticeable due to hearing fewer sounds that might otherwise mask it. Heart reading, measured after returning from walk: BP 100/61, pulse 82. That's better than yesterday's 115/70, 86, imo.

[Decrepit]

Project: exercise-walk
Status: ongoing

Today, first of Autumn, I walked in precipitation that began as mild drizzle, then settled into a sort of heavy shower / light soaker rain. Cool too. I wore an insulated top beneath my sweat shirt, exercise-shorts atop my sweat pants. Light toboggan of course. An umbrella was carried and used the entire route. This walk further confirms that my walking shoes are due for replacement. A new pair was ordered off Amazon yesterday.

As for the walk itself, it wasn't one of my best. I huffed and puffed too much by the end of its three uphill segments, and again during its closing brief 'power walk'. Nor did it clear my grogginess, though this might be due to having taken a powerful prescription sleeping pill last night.

Heart reading taken within minutes of my return: Blood Pressure 91/61, Pulse 80.

24 Sep ADDENDUM:
Another exercise-walk under solid overcast skies. No rain this time, though I carried an umbrella just in case. Right-knee acted up a bit after the halfway point, but largely worked itself out by the two-thirds mark.

Heart reading taken within minutes of my return: Blood Pressure 101/69, Pulse 79.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Sep 24 2020, 03:52 PM

[treydog]

Project- Challenge Accepted, the first part of The Unnamed (total rewrite of Blood on the Moon)

Status- final draft completed at 7:00 p.m. today

Metrics- 91760 words, 160 pages

Content- almost entirely new material, giving Athynae (more than) equal billing from the beginning.

Next step- sending electronic copy to beta readers and biting fingernails all the way to my elbow.

Important announcement- If not for you fine and patient folks, this would NEVER have happened. Still a long way to go--- the "original" was over 600 pages, and I have only skimmed the tiniest bit of that existing writing. But... the support of everyone here kept the writing going, with all the fits and starts.

[Acadian]

Congrats, trey! Best wishes with this exciting endeavor!

[Sakiri]

I might have missed something. Rewriting? Is it a fanfic you're going to publish?

That's a lot of writing. I used to do short stories but could never get into longer ones.

[treydog]

So--- yes. The "original" was based on the Bloodmoon expansion to Morrowind, and was planned to complete the main game, plus expansions. And it was going to be... short. Which did not happen. Thirteen YEARS and 600 pages later... it was done. Lurking somewhere on page one of the Fan-fiction section.

With much prodding from Mrs. Treydog, I have finally gotten around to remaking that story into something NOT based on the Elder Scrolls- thus avoiding a copyright trap. So--- The Unnamed Saga.... which is going to be some number of volumes (undetermined at this time- have to write them).

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

So--- yes. The "original" was based on the Bloodmoon expansion to Morrowind, and was planned to complete the main game, plus expansions. And it was going to be... short. Which did not happen. Thirteen YEARS and 600 pages later... it was done. Lurking somewhere on page one of the Fan-fiction section.

With much prodding from Mrs. Treydog, I have finally gotten around to remaking that story into something NOT based on the Elder Scrolls- thus avoiding a copyright trap. So--- The Unnamed Saga.... which is going to be some number of volumes (undetermined at this time- have to write them).

How much of the story is actually impacted by the unique locations of Solstheim and Vvardenfell? I would imagine reworking that would be quite a task!

[Decrepit]

Project: Create and post DFU crawl video
Status: <sighs>

On a whim I decided to 'film' the first some minutes of my DFU avatars' most recent dungeon crawl. Turns out, he made all the right navigation decisions, so reached his goal in a relatively short time-span. Short enough that I will be able to upload the entire crawl and aftermath. Problem is, having never prepared a Daggerfall video, and being super rusty at video prep in general, I've no idea what sort of text narrative to type. I stare and stare at the capture. Nothing comes. Thankfully there's no rush.


Project: daily exercise-walks
Status: <sighs>
I was doing rather well for a while there. Then mid last week I started feeling poorly. I stuck with it another day or two, then threw in the towel. Three days now of no walks. Likely more to come. We shall see.