Ok, I’ve not done a “journal” post n a while, and I think one is long due. It’s been a wild week (or two) in the life of tycho, and I think without the opportunity to parse through some recent events:
1. I’ve been ferrying back between home and my grandmother’s about twice a week for, what seems like a few weeks. Everything is fine, and she’s doing very well (and reading the blog again! everyone say hi!), but it’s jarring if nothing else. I think I’m home for the better part of a week this time, and I’m slipping back into getting things done. Though, being home (and ready to leave) isn’t exactly restful, particularly when so many things need doing at home. So many things.
2. I’ve not been writing very much. All the unsettledness seems to mean that I’m a total mess. I’ve written (and semi-abandoned) lots of blog posts, which never take that much concentration usually. I’m in the middle of reoutlining the novel project and have been on hiatus with that as a result. I’m convinced that a couple of hours should be able to get me back on to track with that, and jump starting that project will help revive my flagging conentration/focus.
3. I finished the shawl for my grandmother (I might have mentioned that) and have started working on another shawl. There’s a lot of lace in my future, but I do want to knit sweaters more/again. The good news is that I’m actually knitting stuff. So “woot!” for a project that isn’t really going by the wayside.
4. I’m not, as I thought, going to Drupal Con. Given all of my travels and responsibilities here, it just wasn’t feasible. I’m disappointed, but I’m sure it was the right thing, as taking one of the balls out of the air lead to no small amount of relief.
5. I’m finally reading at a pace that I find acceptable. I’ll write a post about this at some point, but I’ve finally managed to figure out a way to prioritize reading in a way that lets me get it done. My pile hasn’t started to dwindle very much, but I can imagine that I’ll be able to make progress. I’m also finally into new territory with the Robinson “Mars books” and am enjoying it. There’s something very similar about the way we approach a story that I really like, and a lot of things that he (not surprisingly) pulls off much more effectively than I am. It’s good stuff.
6. While I switched to brewing tea loosely many months ago, these days I’m not using any fancy brew pots, opting for more traditional infusers and strainers, which seem easier to manage. I’ve discovered that I need some sort of thermos (as my 16 oz. travel mug isn’t enough for a morning out.) and I’d like to get a 40 oz tea pot with a built in strainer/doodad, but I’m good for now unless I see a deal that can’t be missed.
7. Battlestar Galactica continues to boggle my mind in a good way. I continue to be really impressed with how the story progresses, the kind of science fiction that they’re doing, and the quality of everything. I’m, typically, a bit sad about the end, and I’ve been hording and watching in 2-3 episode chunks, but I think in the long run it’s a good thing that the show is going out on such a good note, and I think seeing (parts?) of the production team go in to do different things will be much more powerful than getting another couple of seasons of BSG as we know it now. As much as I hate to admit that.
8. I did some things along the lines of reconfiguring my blackberry, to reprogram some of the buttons along the side, and I’ve started to use a private emaill address that I set up to take notes on the fly. I should probably begin to figure out how to do some sort of procmail filtering something or other to get these notes into something in my org-mode files. Later. In general, I’m really pleased with how the phone is working out, even if I still need to get the music/ring tone situation sorted out, but I’m lazy.
9. I’ve been, as I can, going for long-ish walks every day. I’ll write about this, eventually, but I think it’s been really good for clearing my mind and working. It’ll also be nice to be in a little better shape before the dancing season really picks up: stamina and all. If I can convince myself that this is a habit worth keeping, and I buy tennis shoes (for the first time in… ten or 12 years, yay for boots and clogs.) I’m considering joining a gym, in hopes of being able to do weight stuff and being able to do lower impact aerobic stuff. As a skinny geek, whose been moderately active (dancing) heretofore, this whole exercise thing is quite strange and intimidating. There’s all kind of stuff that I don’t know at all. Very strange.
10. I’m rejigging my family’s computers this week. I tried to explain what needs to be done, but failed. Basically what I need to do centers around: copying a lot of stuff off of a computer, getting ipod syncing working with linux, and then figuring out a creative solution for getting either getting the audio signal from the office, to the living room without wires, or getting the network to a computer that doesn’t have wireless. Additional challenges include: remote control of the jukebox machine player using laptops/cellphones (proto home automation), and possibilities for podcast fetching that don’t necessarily involve the ipod software (thinking about using my phone for this). Thoughts on any of these issues would be great.
Sorry for the eccentricity of this post, and my posting this week, I’m almost back on track.
Outward and Onward!