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Lunch squirrel
May. 12th, 2026 13:20I've got the phone on my stand watching the goings on while I computer.
Mother's day
May. 11th, 2026 14:51I bought a bird feeder for Dana. It is a total PIA since like every company they try to maneuver you into sending them money on a regular basis and micromanage settings in weird ways. But it is a cool feeder. Fairly well designed but for the fact that it uses about the same amount of electricity as Manhattan (I've got a solar panel on the way).
But I got it mounted in a place that Dana can get to it and where it has a good view.
We've got food in it but no birds right now. It sends alerts and takes a picture when they get there and, of course, AI will tell you all about the birds and I think will report them to the big bird database in the sky.
I think it will also project up to our TV. I'm resting my brain after setting it up before I try that but it would be a pretty nice screen saver to just had the bird feeder on the TV.
Now I need to nap.
But I got it mounted in a place that Dana can get to it and where it has a good view.
We've got food in it but no birds right now. It sends alerts and takes a picture when they get there and, of course, AI will tell you all about the birds and I think will report them to the big bird database in the sky.
I think it will also project up to our TV. I'm resting my brain after setting it up before I try that but it would be a pretty nice screen saver to just had the bird feeder on the TV.
Now I need to nap.
I had to make a separate post.
When we were young we used to drive out to Oklahoma waiting until it was really hot so we could all enjoy the station wagon with no air conditioning all the way out and back. One of the places I always wanted to stop at was Stuckey's. My parents were smart enough not to stop there. Actually I don't think we stopped much of anywhere.
Today I made up a bit of that. We passed a Buc-ees and stopped. If you don't know, Buc-ees is a huge gas station with the best bathrooms anywhere and some of the nicest staff and stay that way 24 hours a day. You can walk into the 2 acre Buc-ees store at 3AM and be greeted by someone who will 'welcome to Buc-ees' all cheerie and stuff. That time of morning is special. We were there this morning but it was 11ish and not insane. But the people watching was a treat as always and the shelves were perfectly stocked, the food was hot and ready, and the bathrooms were immaculate. It is a finely tuned machine. I'm sorry I can't send you some Watermelon Cotton Candy but I can send you pictures:
The kitchiest wooden wavy placks I've ever seen just outside the bathroom. This one dimensional photo does not do them justice.
FOOD FOOD AND FOOD:
This is a picture standing in the center of the store looking one direction:
Same amount of room going the other way.
This is an entire wall of every kind of food you can think of. Across from this wall are rows on rows of shelves filled with chips and such. This wall has candy and jerky, and such.
And, of course they have T-shirts commerating the Buc-ees Nascar entry:
And who could go on their camping trip without a double burner, three basket, oil fryer. Turkey and fries!!!!
There is so much more. So much.
And the people who buy it all.
I used to drive up from San Diego to Venice Beach so I could sit on the sea wall, drink a beer, and watch the circus go by. Buc-ees reminds me of that. More clothes but similar people.
When we were young we used to drive out to Oklahoma waiting until it was really hot so we could all enjoy the station wagon with no air conditioning all the way out and back. One of the places I always wanted to stop at was Stuckey's. My parents were smart enough not to stop there. Actually I don't think we stopped much of anywhere.
Today I made up a bit of that. We passed a Buc-ees and stopped. If you don't know, Buc-ees is a huge gas station with the best bathrooms anywhere and some of the nicest staff and stay that way 24 hours a day. You can walk into the 2 acre Buc-ees store at 3AM and be greeted by someone who will 'welcome to Buc-ees' all cheerie and stuff. That time of morning is special. We were there this morning but it was 11ish and not insane. But the people watching was a treat as always and the shelves were perfectly stocked, the food was hot and ready, and the bathrooms were immaculate. It is a finely tuned machine. I'm sorry I can't send you some Watermelon Cotton Candy but I can send you pictures:
The kitchiest wooden wavy placks I've ever seen just outside the bathroom. This one dimensional photo does not do them justice.
FOOD FOOD AND FOOD:
This is a picture standing in the center of the store looking one direction:
Same amount of room going the other way.
This is an entire wall of every kind of food you can think of. Across from this wall are rows on rows of shelves filled with chips and such. This wall has candy and jerky, and such.
And, of course they have T-shirts commerating the Buc-ees Nascar entry:
And who could go on their camping trip without a double burner, three basket, oil fryer. Turkey and fries!!!!
There is so much more. So much.
And the people who buy it all.
I used to drive up from San Diego to Venice Beach so I could sit on the sea wall, drink a beer, and watch the circus go by. Buc-ees reminds me of that. More clothes but similar people.
So all is OK with the world. We could have come back same day but six hours in the car is a bit much. We're going to go back to the doc once a year like any cardiologist visit, just to check in and be sure nothing has changed. Now we know what we're doing it will be much easier and less stressful.
Dana has a condition that is not common but neither is it rare. It essentially makes her veins and arteries flexible which one might think is good but actually can result in weakness and potential issues if the pressure gets too high. So she needs to keep her blood pressure low, which she was already doing, and nothing that results in raising it locally. Her neck vessels, for instance, are prone to buldging so no downward dog kind of thing. Or neck massages, or cross body bags that might get caught on someone walking by and quickly pull at her neck. The vessel might tear.
Other than that nothing really changes. It is just that we know what is happening now and can monitor it. Nothing dramatic.
All in all a good outcome. The doc was very ADHD as am I so we clashed a bit but worked it out. She's a cardiologist who specializes in FMD and vascular medicine so seeing her once a year makes sense and having her as a resource if some other crazy doc starts saying we HAVE to do this or that is nice. We ran into one already who decided that Dana should be on some strong blood thinners. I killed that quickly and this doc agreed that Dana does NOT need to be on blood thinners. It would have caused a lot of problems. So now I've got someone to point to and say 'ask her'.
Our VRBO apartment was kind of crap and we ate at the world's worst seafood restaurant but now we know where we need to be I can find a better set up next year.
Dana has a condition that is not common but neither is it rare. It essentially makes her veins and arteries flexible which one might think is good but actually can result in weakness and potential issues if the pressure gets too high. So she needs to keep her blood pressure low, which she was already doing, and nothing that results in raising it locally. Her neck vessels, for instance, are prone to buldging so no downward dog kind of thing. Or neck massages, or cross body bags that might get caught on someone walking by and quickly pull at her neck. The vessel might tear.
Other than that nothing really changes. It is just that we know what is happening now and can monitor it. Nothing dramatic.
All in all a good outcome. The doc was very ADHD as am I so we clashed a bit but worked it out. She's a cardiologist who specializes in FMD and vascular medicine so seeing her once a year makes sense and having her as a resource if some other crazy doc starts saying we HAVE to do this or that is nice. We ran into one already who decided that Dana should be on some strong blood thinners. I killed that quickly and this doc agreed that Dana does NOT need to be on blood thinners. It would have caused a lot of problems. So now I've got someone to point to and say 'ask her'.
Our VRBO apartment was kind of crap and we ate at the world's worst seafood restaurant but now we know where we need to be I can find a better set up next year.
We got up this morning, put the children in the pet hotel, and drove down to Houston to the Texas Heart Institute where there is a center for FMD and something Dana has. It is a vascular condition that mostly women develop (byproduct of hormonal changes, they think). Normally it is discovered by accident which happened to her while they were looking for something else. The only benefit to running down the diagnosis is that we can now shorthand any discussions and move past further testing. It is one of those watch and wait kind of things. Blood thinners and monitor. Keep the blood pressure down and that's about it.
Meanwhile we're taking advantage of having a narrow specialty center close by. I don't think we will have to come back here which is great since it is a three hour drive. We're staying in a VRBO place right next door and leaving in the morning.
So many ways this could have gone wrong. Lots of moving parts to get here but it worked out and will be off the calendar and out of my mind now.
I scheduled cataract number 2 for 26 May so I should be able to see the baseball games in Seattle mid June. Another thing off my schedule.
I'm kind of ready for some boredom.
Meanwhile we're taking advantage of having a narrow specialty center close by. I don't think we will have to come back here which is great since it is a three hour drive. We're staying in a VRBO place right next door and leaving in the morning.
So many ways this could have gone wrong. Lots of moving parts to get here but it worked out and will be off the calendar and out of my mind now.
I scheduled cataract number 2 for 26 May so I should be able to see the baseball games in Seattle mid June. Another thing off my schedule.
I'm kind of ready for some boredom.
I've mostly reached my physical goals. Mostly. Still some improvement needed for conditioning but it is more maintenance than muscle. I still want to be able to climb more stairs but I'm working on the problem and will continue until I can't do it any more. My weight is where I want and seems to be happy to plateau there. My belly still has 3 inches to drop but that is just going to take a while and will be in lock with my being able to climb stairs. And my grip strength is better. The right side legs and grip are still weaker than the left but that too will take a lot of time.
So the big thing now is to be sure I stay at this plateau or better. No back sliding.
Chat GPT created a number of set points that I can check, a scorecard, and upper limits that if I hit I go into hard recovery mode. For instance, 187 (two pounds up from my plateau) for 3 days at which point I'd get serious again with lowering the calories. Until then I eat what I want keeping up protein and fiber and enough calories to be sure I can workout and keep up the muscle mass.
Today was the first day of the score card. I still have the exercise portion to do (10 sit stands from my low chair, grip measurement, lay on floor and get up without external assist). I'm going to add a few things but it gives me the freedom to both not obsess and stay on track without worry. I've got Sunday morning set up as the day I fill it out and a spreadsheet connected to a calendar entry set for every Sunday until my calendar runs out (6/26/2043).
I started to wean myself off of semaglutide by moving the weekly injection to 8 days, then 9 and then 10 BUT doing it that way means my body goes through the nausea that came with the first dose. It isn't bad but basically my body has gotten used to being without it after 10 days and then it starts all over. So I'm switching tactics, lowering the dose over time. I've got months left to do it and, really, after 10 days I'm eating about the same so I could likely just drop it altogether and be fine. But I've paid for it and will continue for a while with a lower dose just to be sure.
This week is going to be kind of a PIA mostly in the way it ends, in Houston, at the Baylor hospital there. We're getting a diagnosis for Dana's vascular issue. It appears that she may have something called FMD which is an issue that is mostly women as a result of hormones gone wild. It manifests as blood vessels having weakened walls and bulges. I don't think there is any cure but knowledge and solid diagnosis is power and they are one of the few specialties in the country. So Thursday morning to Houston and back on Friday. The dogs will kennel where they did last time, in a pet place across the street. Convenient and I think they don't much mind for a day.
I'm hoping that the appointment is a one off as the trip to Houston is painful, boring and long. We have a VRBO apartment reserved for a reasonable amount of money so it should not be too bad as a single one day trip. Fingers are crossed that it is just that and nothing more complicated or lengthy. The communication from the doctor's end is minimal and sketchy, laden with standardized emails.
So the big thing now is to be sure I stay at this plateau or better. No back sliding.
Chat GPT created a number of set points that I can check, a scorecard, and upper limits that if I hit I go into hard recovery mode. For instance, 187 (two pounds up from my plateau) for 3 days at which point I'd get serious again with lowering the calories. Until then I eat what I want keeping up protein and fiber and enough calories to be sure I can workout and keep up the muscle mass.
Today was the first day of the score card. I still have the exercise portion to do (10 sit stands from my low chair, grip measurement, lay on floor and get up without external assist). I'm going to add a few things but it gives me the freedom to both not obsess and stay on track without worry. I've got Sunday morning set up as the day I fill it out and a spreadsheet connected to a calendar entry set for every Sunday until my calendar runs out (6/26/2043).
I started to wean myself off of semaglutide by moving the weekly injection to 8 days, then 9 and then 10 BUT doing it that way means my body goes through the nausea that came with the first dose. It isn't bad but basically my body has gotten used to being without it after 10 days and then it starts all over. So I'm switching tactics, lowering the dose over time. I've got months left to do it and, really, after 10 days I'm eating about the same so I could likely just drop it altogether and be fine. But I've paid for it and will continue for a while with a lower dose just to be sure.
This week is going to be kind of a PIA mostly in the way it ends, in Houston, at the Baylor hospital there. We're getting a diagnosis for Dana's vascular issue. It appears that she may have something called FMD which is an issue that is mostly women as a result of hormones gone wild. It manifests as blood vessels having weakened walls and bulges. I don't think there is any cure but knowledge and solid diagnosis is power and they are one of the few specialties in the country. So Thursday morning to Houston and back on Friday. The dogs will kennel where they did last time, in a pet place across the street. Convenient and I think they don't much mind for a day.
I'm hoping that the appointment is a one off as the trip to Houston is painful, boring and long. We have a VRBO apartment reserved for a reasonable amount of money so it should not be too bad as a single one day trip. Fingers are crossed that it is just that and nothing more complicated or lengthy. The communication from the doctor's end is minimal and sketchy, laden with standardized emails.
Fortunate son
Apr. 30th, 2026 14:37I agree with Fogerty's ideas and his stance in Fortunate Son. But, there's no way around it, I'm the antagonist in his son. I was born on third base and have felt like I should have done more with it. But I've brought along some people who needed help and still do.
Two lunches this week. On Saturday I met with two of my previous employees. We still get together on occasion. One of them has a fiance who also comes to the lunch. On reflection I'm the only one without PTSD and all the resultant symptoms. We talked about that. It is an open group. The couple are both refugees from Johova's Witness families and have been excommunicated and no longer have any relationship with their families. The other two had bad childhoods. Really bad. Everyone's gotten to the point they can talk about it over lunch but it is a bit weird for me.
Then there is today's lunch. Polar opposite. It is with the three business people I met at networking years ago. We meet every month and discuss business and families. The three of them are wildly successful and the same age as my two kids. An insurance agent who has enough money to throw a bunch into another business, which will also be successful, just so his wife can have her own business. They are just taking off and learning what they need to know about the food product business but it will be a million dollar business soon enough.
Then there is the pest control guy whose multi million dollar business is growing by 30% per year. He no longer really needs to do anything with it now as he's done all the work to make it operate on its own, the way business should be He does the marketing and some sales because he wants to buy will soon be staying home more. He has three adopted children in addition to the natural ones. The three adopted ones need some more hands on so he's going to do that more. He's got all the choices he could ever want.
Then there is the woman who owns her own bookkeeping service with half a dozen employees and enough income to employee a consultant, me, to help her grow and get more of her businenss as a process than it is now.
All the people of both lunches are happy, growing, and doing good things in their own area.
And I get to hang out and watch and applaud and enjoy and occasionally make some pithy comment. Their token father figure Buddha.
I received a paycheck today from the bookkeeper. The first half of our agreed upon first initial project pay. There might be more projects but I said let's just go this far for this much and see what we thing. And so I received way too much, of course, for what I feel like I contributed but she's happy and I'm motivated to do more. And it is fun.
If I were one of those people who walked on eggshells waiting for the floor to collapse when things are going well I'd be terrified now. But I'm not. I lean into good fortune and opportunity so I'm pretty happy right now.
And very grateful.
I came home from lunch, opened the door, and was greeted by Beaux galloping towards me in his happy dance to see I'm home.
Icing on the cake.
Delay delay
Apr. 27th, 2026 11:47I've got three things to do and I'm not doing any of them at the moment. One is some of the volunteer work. I'll be there in the morning but there is stuff I can do here. There is another volunteer that I've been working with to see if we can't improve their information flow some. I've not done anything with the project for a week or so and feel guilty. Then there is the bookkeeper I've been working with. They are about to execute a new system of information intake and categorization I've been helping them look at and I need to spend some time working on it. And I need to work out. I took a couple of weeks off for the most part with my cataract surgery and need to get back on the bandwagon.
That last one is kind of funny as I had an interview with the media person in the company last week. She had read some of my feedback and asked if I could go on record so they could use me in their promos. I love the guy, love what he does and feel really positive about his company so I was glad to help. About that time I decided to just buy into the company for a lifetime membership. It was about $1500 but they took $200 off when I offered to help with their media so that was pretty good. BUT now I've been lazy and haven't been doing the workouts.
Instead of doing all that I'm eating a blueberry muffin and typing this.
Good morning of pickleball, though. A couple of hours worth and I felt pretty good about it. Run around, whack the ball, win a few games.
I guess I'll get back to the more serious procrastination now.
Back to normal for a few days
Apr. 23rd, 2026 17:12 The GDs haven't landed yet in Boston. Their flight was delayed half an hour or so but they easily made it through a mostly empty security line and onto the plane. At Juliette's age I'd already spent a summer on my own at a summer job in South Carolina. The gig and living arrangements were all made by my father but executed by me without much assistance when I was still 16. In retrospect my parents prepared me much more than these two for living in the world. I did not, of course, appreciate what they did but I sure as hell was independent.
I think what surprises me the most is that neigher of the girls use computers or actually know how to use computers. Other than getting to their games and texting systems they don't much know how to use their phones. They neither one had downloaded the SouthWest Airlines app and their father checked them in and texted them their boarding pass before I had a chance to make them do it themselves.
Younger than Juliette and Lil by a few years, my two sons travelled from Boston to Texas to visit my wife (previous edition) and me. Their flight was diverted and as this was before cell phones we were unaware that their flight was landing in Houston about the time we got to DFW. We found out when we were paged over the intercom. My sons had found a public telephone and called DFW, had us paged, and told us they were in Houston and what the flight was for the Houston to DFT leg. I'm sure they had help from the stewardesses but I suspect they would have figured it out.
Some of it is the male/female divide but much of it was just making them solve problems on their own.
We had the girls for two days so that is not even long enough to learn who they are much less do anything about it. I did discover that at 17 Juliette has neither driver's license nor permit. I'd had my own car and drove from North Carolina to South Carolina by myself before that age. She says she is too scared to drive. I bought her a journal for what will soon be her 18th birthday "Do one thing each day that scares you" and will send it to her once I've got it wrapped.
They don't like AI and seem to think that saying that absolves them of dealing with the issue. This is mostly Juliette who has some artistic potential. She's interested in medical art science and feels like AI has taken her future job. My thought was get over it and don't be a victim at 17. It stunts your growth. But I didn't say anything. They are standing on the edge of the pool worried that the water might be wet.
That age group and mentality does not happen in a vacuum. I suspect that the group of high school seniors she hangs out with share that view of their future being stolen rather than the fact that they have a new future that is open to so many varied possibilities that no one alive can envision what or when. That was true for my generation but is even more so for theirs.
As I write this I'm thinking that I need to write a letter to her to put with the book.
Anyway, it was fun. On the way to the airport Juliette, the 17 year old, asked if there was a Buc-ees we could stop at on the way. I had to tell her that there was one an hour north of us and an hour south but nothing in the actual Austin area. Had we another day we would have gone to see the dinosaurs with a Buc-ees stop on the way. Alas, their time was too short. Neither did we have Mexican food.
So we started a list for next time.
I think what surprises me the most is that neigher of the girls use computers or actually know how to use computers. Other than getting to their games and texting systems they don't much know how to use their phones. They neither one had downloaded the SouthWest Airlines app and their father checked them in and texted them their boarding pass before I had a chance to make them do it themselves.
Younger than Juliette and Lil by a few years, my two sons travelled from Boston to Texas to visit my wife (previous edition) and me. Their flight was diverted and as this was before cell phones we were unaware that their flight was landing in Houston about the time we got to DFW. We found out when we were paged over the intercom. My sons had found a public telephone and called DFW, had us paged, and told us they were in Houston and what the flight was for the Houston to DFT leg. I'm sure they had help from the stewardesses but I suspect they would have figured it out.
Some of it is the male/female divide but much of it was just making them solve problems on their own.
We had the girls for two days so that is not even long enough to learn who they are much less do anything about it. I did discover that at 17 Juliette has neither driver's license nor permit. I'd had my own car and drove from North Carolina to South Carolina by myself before that age. She says she is too scared to drive. I bought her a journal for what will soon be her 18th birthday "Do one thing each day that scares you" and will send it to her once I've got it wrapped.
They don't like AI and seem to think that saying that absolves them of dealing with the issue. This is mostly Juliette who has some artistic potential. She's interested in medical art science and feels like AI has taken her future job. My thought was get over it and don't be a victim at 17. It stunts your growth. But I didn't say anything. They are standing on the edge of the pool worried that the water might be wet.
That age group and mentality does not happen in a vacuum. I suspect that the group of high school seniors she hangs out with share that view of their future being stolen rather than the fact that they have a new future that is open to so many varied possibilities that no one alive can envision what or when. That was true for my generation but is even more so for theirs.
As I write this I'm thinking that I need to write a letter to her to put with the book.
Anyway, it was fun. On the way to the airport Juliette, the 17 year old, asked if there was a Buc-ees we could stop at on the way. I had to tell her that there was one an hour north of us and an hour south but nothing in the actual Austin area. Had we another day we would have gone to see the dinosaurs with a Buc-ees stop on the way. Alas, their time was too short. Neither did we have Mexican food.
So we started a list for next time.
Me, Juliette and Lil.
As I type this I can hear the two of them in the kitchen with Dana.
We never did make it very far today but the three women went to Sophora and Miniso (Japanese teen store) as well as a few stores downtown and a pizza joint that we like.
Tomorrow we really are going to Austin.
Sleeping in the rain
Apr. 21st, 2026 10:14We picked up the granddaughters with no problem yesterday. On our way home we stopped by and picked up some BBQ ribs. They were a hit with both of them.
[Yesterday was my GLP1 dose and it slowed down my digestion as it is supposed to do and the ribs are still hanging around twelve hours later. The system works. I'm not hungry.]
Everyone but Dana went to bed around ten and 12 hours later the girls are not up. It has been raining and thunder showering most of the night and all morning so that is clearly contributing to the teen sleep in.
So my plans to do something are changing by the hour. It is already kind of late to go down to Austin today. Not really a problem if the rain lets up. We can just go to Georgetown and walk the square instead, the plan for Wednesday.
I'm happy to do nothing and take a nap but I hate to have them come to Texas and not see anything of Texas.
I'm also not inclined to wake them up on a school vacation day.
[Yesterday was my GLP1 dose and it slowed down my digestion as it is supposed to do and the ribs are still hanging around twelve hours later. The system works. I'm not hungry.]
Everyone but Dana went to bed around ten and 12 hours later the girls are not up. It has been raining and thunder showering most of the night and all morning so that is clearly contributing to the teen sleep in.
So my plans to do something are changing by the hour. It is already kind of late to go down to Austin today. Not really a problem if the rain lets up. We can just go to Georgetown and walk the square instead, the plan for Wednesday.
I'm happy to do nothing and take a nap but I hate to have them come to Texas and not see anything of Texas.
I'm also not inclined to wake them up on a school vacation day.
Food noise
Apr. 20th, 2026 15:20The best description of what semaglutide does is that it lowers food noise. That results in much less enjoyment of food but obviously lower intake equalling lower weight. Caloric deficit.
I started moving my frequency of GLP-1 shots so that I'm now taking one of the same quantity every 10 days. My weight is unchanged. My goal is to lock in a platform of 185 which is overweight by govm't standards and by med standards but were I to drop the next 10 pounds they say I should I'd be wiry and not in a good way. I could easily do it, go down to 175 or less but I wouldn't be able to retain or increase any muscle mass.
My gual now is 185, a 38" waist which is achieved by an increase in muscle mass, and be off the expensive drugs.
I'm one for three at the moment.
But the noise is picking up a bit. I don't much enjoy the necessity of maintaining a reasonable level of caloric intake when I want more and no longer get nauseous when I eat too much. It is going to take some work and not needing to pay attention has made me lazy.
I'm committed to the goals so I'll get there with or without semaglutide but it is an interesting process. At the moment I really don't want interesting. I want frictionless.
I started moving my frequency of GLP-1 shots so that I'm now taking one of the same quantity every 10 days. My weight is unchanged. My goal is to lock in a platform of 185 which is overweight by govm't standards and by med standards but were I to drop the next 10 pounds they say I should I'd be wiry and not in a good way. I could easily do it, go down to 175 or less but I wouldn't be able to retain or increase any muscle mass.
My gual now is 185, a 38" waist which is achieved by an increase in muscle mass, and be off the expensive drugs.
I'm one for three at the moment.
But the noise is picking up a bit. I don't much enjoy the necessity of maintaining a reasonable level of caloric intake when I want more and no longer get nauseous when I eat too much. It is going to take some work and not needing to pay attention has made me lazy.
I'm committed to the goals so I'll get there with or without semaglutide but it is an interesting process. At the moment I really don't want interesting. I want frictionless.
More comfortable
Apr. 19th, 2026 09:15I'm easing back into doing things. Technically I'm still barred from doing much of anything until I see the doc on Friday but I can feel that my eye is settled and quickly healing so I'm moving with less care and more confidence. I'm still wearing the eye cover at night so I don't scratch but fortunately my eye does not itch so I'm not too concerned.
Since my right eye has always been my best for long distance vision I don't see much change and doubt I will. But I can see out of it now and things are in focus so I'm back to double eye'd vision which is nice.
The entire process was way more than I'd anticipated. But it is behind me and it appears that all is well.
Tomorrow my two granddaughters, 17 and 15 year old women, arrive for a couple of days. They go back on Thursday. It will be more time by far than I've ever spent with either of them. The visit is the brain child of my son's fairly new wife and is a really considerate thing to do.
Apparently the two of them like museums and bookstores and dinosaurs. We have the Blanton museum in Austin, one of the best book stores in the U.S., Book People and the Whole Foods mother ship complete with an amazing cafe full of every kind of food one might desire, right between the two. So that is the plan on Tuesday.
I'd like to take them to the Waco dinosaur museum. It is a dig that is still in progress albeit very slowly as funds are available. A bunch of mamoths got stuck in a flood and died in a patch of water than turned into mud trapping them and saving them for us to see. It is a facinating place but is nearly an hour and a half north of us. I'm a bit concerned about that much car time. Three hours round trip. I did just check, though, and there is a Buc-ees half way between the two so maybe it would be worthwhile. It may be a time for a vote.
The alternative would be a day in downtown Georgetown which has a lovely mid 19th century square and nice shops. And a trip to the boot store. That might be better.
Fortunately both of them want steak and barbeque and I've been tasked with providing the best Texas has to offer. I think we can find some.
It is weird that it is two days. They leave at 1:45 on Thursday so not much to do that morning. We'll have to leave the house at 10:30 or so. On the one hand that is so short that it is destined to leave us all wanting more. On the other hand that is probably a good strategy.
It is going to be exceedingly weird to be in a house, even for a couple of days, peopled by all females. Well, actually, Beaux, Toby and me vs the three women. Still.
I'll give my my office as a place they can spread out to. Also weird. But manageable for a couple of days.
The weather will be cool and perfect for whatever we want to do.
And two weeks following full of stuff to do that requires thought and action.
Finally starting on the 10th things will be dull, uneventful, and perfect for a few weeks.
Since my right eye has always been my best for long distance vision I don't see much change and doubt I will. But I can see out of it now and things are in focus so I'm back to double eye'd vision which is nice.
The entire process was way more than I'd anticipated. But it is behind me and it appears that all is well.
Tomorrow my two granddaughters, 17 and 15 year old women, arrive for a couple of days. They go back on Thursday. It will be more time by far than I've ever spent with either of them. The visit is the brain child of my son's fairly new wife and is a really considerate thing to do.
Apparently the two of them like museums and bookstores and dinosaurs. We have the Blanton museum in Austin, one of the best book stores in the U.S., Book People and the Whole Foods mother ship complete with an amazing cafe full of every kind of food one might desire, right between the two. So that is the plan on Tuesday.
I'd like to take them to the Waco dinosaur museum. It is a dig that is still in progress albeit very slowly as funds are available. A bunch of mamoths got stuck in a flood and died in a patch of water than turned into mud trapping them and saving them for us to see. It is a facinating place but is nearly an hour and a half north of us. I'm a bit concerned about that much car time. Three hours round trip. I did just check, though, and there is a Buc-ees half way between the two so maybe it would be worthwhile. It may be a time for a vote.
The alternative would be a day in downtown Georgetown which has a lovely mid 19th century square and nice shops. And a trip to the boot store. That might be better.
Fortunately both of them want steak and barbeque and I've been tasked with providing the best Texas has to offer. I think we can find some.
It is weird that it is two days. They leave at 1:45 on Thursday so not much to do that morning. We'll have to leave the house at 10:30 or so. On the one hand that is so short that it is destined to leave us all wanting more. On the other hand that is probably a good strategy.
It is going to be exceedingly weird to be in a house, even for a couple of days, peopled by all females. Well, actually, Beaux, Toby and me vs the three women. Still.
I'll give my my office as a place they can spread out to. Also weird. But manageable for a couple of days.
The weather will be cool and perfect for whatever we want to do.
And two weeks following full of stuff to do that requires thought and action.
Finally starting on the 10th things will be dull, uneventful, and perfect for a few weeks.
A little bit better. I'm always sensitive to light but even more so now with my right eye. I'd just as soon wear a pirate patch all the time at this point but I suspect they want me to use my eye rather than cover it. I have to wear a patch at night so I don't scratch my eye in my sleep but it is clear and has air holes so is no use to be a light block.
I mostly just stay in the dark rooms of the house. Screen time like this is annoying much faster than usual and my newly fixed cornea seems to dry out quickly. So far, none of the benefits and much annoyance. I'm mostly whining but I'm not allowed to do much else.
Don't bend over. My feet and two dogs are down there so that is kind of an issue. I squat down (fortunately I've been doing squats so I've got the leg strength to get back up) and pet the dogs when I can't convince them to get up on something higher.
Fortunately I don't have to do much of anything. So I'm fortunate. Still, I'm ready to drive and play and work out.
I mostly just stay in the dark rooms of the house. Screen time like this is annoying much faster than usual and my newly fixed cornea seems to dry out quickly. So far, none of the benefits and much annoyance. I'm mostly whining but I'm not allowed to do much else.
Don't bend over. My feet and two dogs are down there so that is kind of an issue. I squat down (fortunately I've been doing squats so I've got the leg strength to get back up) and pet the dogs when I can't convince them to get up on something higher.
Fortunately I don't have to do much of anything. So I'm fortunate. Still, I'm ready to drive and play and work out.
I went back to the eyeball factory this morning and climbed onto the assembly line with all the other cataract oldies. There was actually one person in the place that had some personality and profusely apologized and sympathized with my inability to play pickleball.
The doc said everything went fine and my eye looked good and see you next week. No pickleball, no lifting anything over 5 pounds, no bending over, no petting Beaux, use these drops three times a day.
And your vision is going to be wonky for a while.
I got the monovision lens because I'm cheap and because it has fewer downsides and I don't care about reading glasses. So I'm expecting everything to be good fairly quickly.
So far I get little localized headaches when I stand up. Eyeaches. That pass after the blood redistributes. And I'm happy to have my right eye closed. And screen time is a bit annoying.
But, all minor stuff.
Nice.
The doc said everything went fine and my eye looked good and see you next week. No pickleball, no lifting anything over 5 pounds, no bending over, no petting Beaux, use these drops three times a day.
And your vision is going to be wonky for a while.
I got the monovision lens because I'm cheap and because it has fewer downsides and I don't care about reading glasses. So I'm expecting everything to be good fairly quickly.
So far I get little localized headaches when I stand up. Eyeaches. That pass after the blood redistributes. And I'm happy to have my right eye closed. And screen time is a bit annoying.
But, all minor stuff.
Nice.
According to the nurse everything went well. The doctor said maybe two words to me. During the procedure no one talked to me, no one asked anything, no one said 'we're going to do this now', 'we're almost done', 'when did you find out you had three eyes?', nothing. It made the whole thing a bit more surreal enhanced by the touch of drugs that nudged me that way in the first place.
The nurse that checked us in was apparently the resovoir of all the personality in the entire place. She was the exact opposite so it was not all bad, not all weird.
I'm more than a little disappointed that I don't get a pirate patch:
This has no class at all. The purpose of it is just to keep me from scratching or touching my eye but I think they could have added a logo or maybe
'Think advertising in weird places doesn't work? Just did!!'
missed an opportunity there.
Now I just sit around and watch one eyed TV for the day.
I've got an appointment tomorrow morning. No eye patch but at night after today so return to normalcy will be quick. I can drive after tomorrow when I feel like I'm OK to do so.
The nurse that checked us in was apparently the resovoir of all the personality in the entire place. She was the exact opposite so it was not all bad, not all weird.
I'm more than a little disappointed that I don't get a pirate patch:
This has no class at all. The purpose of it is just to keep me from scratching or touching my eye but I think they could have added a logo or maybe
'Think advertising in weird places doesn't work? Just did!!'
missed an opportunity there.
Now I just sit around and watch one eyed TV for the day.
I've got an appointment tomorrow morning. No eye patch but at night after today so return to normalcy will be quick. I can drive after tomorrow when I feel like I'm OK to do so.
Nearly every day
Apr. 11th, 2026 10:43I seem to get an email about a price increase several times a week. Frequently enough that it feels kind of a constant drip, drip, drip through the days and nights. From what I can discern the oil we are refining is still arriving in ships that began their voyage before the straights closed. Apparently tankers move at about the speed of my bicycle riding. So we have yet to feel the effects from the orange idiot's latest foray into the real world. It should start in a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, this kind of thing:
To continue delivering great service and features, we’re increasing your price to $15.99/month. We don’t make these decisions lightly, but this update will allow us to continue to improve Premium and support the creators and artists you watch on YouTube.
is death by a thousand cuts. That is YouTube premium which I could probably drop. At $192/year just to avoid commercials on stuff I should probably not be wasting my time on anyway it is a pointless expense.
Not much on today. It rained this morning. When it dries out I'll be able to apply some weed killer I've had standing by waiting for the perfect day. This time of year the grass has not really started growing yet (but for those people who have it maintained year around by a landscape company). Right now the weeds are winning. But I've got some weed killer that lets the grass live while killing the weeds. Weird stuff. Chemicals that are smarter than me. In a couple of weeks the grass will take over and all will be fine for a couple of months until it gets so hot and dry that nothing will grow. Such is Texas.
This week is my cataract surgery so not much else. I still have a weird vibe about the process of getting the surgery. It is not at all what I expected. Still like being on an assembly line. With consequences. I can only assume they know what they are doing but they don't give out any information about what to expect other than it will be cold so wear something warm. Apparently I'll be sedated but the only way I know that is the anesthetist sent an email with a 'flip pamplet' about anesthesia. No discussing what level or what drug or anything like that.
I did just look up that last bit and apparently they put me in a light sleep. I get more information from google than from the doctors.
But the eye thing will pretty much dominate my week and the following week is when my granddaughters come for a few days.
I'm going to make May as boring as I can.
Meanwhile, this kind of thing:
To continue delivering great service and features, we’re increasing your price to $15.99/month. We don’t make these decisions lightly, but this update will allow us to continue to improve Premium and support the creators and artists you watch on YouTube.
is death by a thousand cuts. That is YouTube premium which I could probably drop. At $192/year just to avoid commercials on stuff I should probably not be wasting my time on anyway it is a pointless expense.
Not much on today. It rained this morning. When it dries out I'll be able to apply some weed killer I've had standing by waiting for the perfect day. This time of year the grass has not really started growing yet (but for those people who have it maintained year around by a landscape company). Right now the weeds are winning. But I've got some weed killer that lets the grass live while killing the weeds. Weird stuff. Chemicals that are smarter than me. In a couple of weeks the grass will take over and all will be fine for a couple of months until it gets so hot and dry that nothing will grow. Such is Texas.
This week is my cataract surgery so not much else. I still have a weird vibe about the process of getting the surgery. It is not at all what I expected. Still like being on an assembly line. With consequences. I can only assume they know what they are doing but they don't give out any information about what to expect other than it will be cold so wear something warm. Apparently I'll be sedated but the only way I know that is the anesthetist sent an email with a 'flip pamplet' about anesthesia. No discussing what level or what drug or anything like that.
I did just look up that last bit and apparently they put me in a light sleep. I get more information from google than from the doctors.
But the eye thing will pretty much dominate my week and the following week is when my granddaughters come for a few days.
I'm going to make May as boring as I can.
