Happy Me Thread

[chalsall]

If I may please share, I've had a very enjoyable couple of days...

I talked to my mentor on management yesterday evening.

He advised "I always go down, rather than up. If something isn't happening as fast as you need it to, you'll often have more success talking to other people at the same level or below, than you will achieve by escalating up to the bosses.

He also said wisely: "Also, that way, fewer people hate you, and thus will not go out of their way to not do things for you in the future.

While I was driving between meetings with other humans in meatspace today, Hugh Marsh was on my playlist. Specifically, his Shaking the Pumpkin album.

I replayed it (in it's entirely) the entire 40-minute trip. I particularly resonated with "Rules Were Made To Be Broken".

I can't find an online reference, but the language was something along the lines of "Be resolute. Fear no sacrifice. Do everything needed to achieve success. And most importantly, always, be cool.

[Xyzzy]

How far can you drive in Barbados in 40 minutes?

[Uncwilly]

Likely any/everywhere.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

How far can you drive in Barbados in 40 minutes?

A function of the traffic.

Today I traveled across the country (west to east; and then back again) in an aggregate hour.

Normally I don't move my sorry little ass off my seat at my primary workstation, so today was an extraordinary day. Kinda weird moving atoms, rather than bits.

[kladner]

It is an Epson Pro 4880, and had not been started for over a year, in part due to moving. It took a long series of nozzle clean/test pattern cycles, but it is back to producing beautiful prints.

[xilman]

Yesterday evening SWMBO and I were having a drink out on the veranda when we heard clip-clop, clip-clop.

A donkey had paid a visit.

We gave it a couple of carrots, chatted and scratched its head, and then escorted it off the premises.

Finally we shut the gates to keep it out.

I think it was the same one, now grown up, which was with its mother in a nearby field a year or so ago. We called them the burro and the burrito. The locals liked that pun.

[kladner]

Made it to #10 in the GPU72 Workers Overall Progress table. Much thanks to Colaboratory.

[Dr Sardonicus]

A little over a month ago, I sent a letter to a former neighbor who now lives a thousand miles away. He does not have a computer or a "smart phone." One of the reasons I sent a letter was to show him some photographs I had taken. I also felt bad about not having called or written him in almost a year. When we lived nearby I had visited him and his wife often. He is retired Air Force, and had told me many interesting stories about his experiences both as a pilot and on the administrative end of things.

I had not heard from him since I sent my letter, and had become concerned. My concern increased recently when I tried to call him, and first got a busy signal, then a long series of rings followed by a recording telling me to enter my remote access code. Huh, sounded like something you'd hear when trying to listen to new messages on an answering machine when you call in from somewhere else.

Last evening I tried again, and he answered on the second ring. He was very glad to hear from me. He had been intending to call me. He had gotten my letter.

We talked for over an hour. He explained his delay in responding: His wife's dementia has progressed, and he is her sole caregiver. They still go grocery shopping together, she still reads the paper and watches Jeopardy, but remembers almost nothing. I am sure he knows the day may come when she no longer knows who he is, and am equally sure he is grateful for every day that comes before that.

He told me he had gotten an answering machine, but had not done anything to its settings. That explained the mysterious recording I had heard.

We updated each other on our respective local situations. I mentioned my now-departed neighbor who had had dementia, and who, though unable to remember the president's name, recognized who he was when he saw him on the news, and, not remembering his name, referred to him instead as "that dumb son of a b." My former neighbor remarked that he would consider any term applied to our current president as proper.

He is still in good health, active, though slowing down a bit, and his memory seems as good as ever.

He and his wife will jointly celebrate their birthdays a little early today at their daughter and son-in-law's place. On Friday (September 11), he will be ninety-three years old.

Happ-pre Birthday, Sir!

[firejuggler]

I'm finally done with this un-advisable PM1. with success might I add.


But i'm sure that TF would have been faster.

[petrw1]

Bye bye glasses;
well except for Library Lady Reading glasses.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by petrw1

Bye bye glasses;
well except for Library Lady Reading glasses.

You gone blind?