2015 — 3 November: Tuesday
Somewhat to my surprise1 — allowing for all the extra time IBM owed me in 2006 — today actually marks the start of my tenth year of paid absence (if not quite yet retirement) from IBM. "If only" as they say "Christa could see me now."
I hesitate...
... to assess what on earth has gone on in the last nine years, but it sure beats working for a living. And that's the main thing. [Pause] Now, a comparatively late breakfast beckons before today's crop of unplanned adventures.
I can, alas, partially relate to this:
As Birkerts puts it in a new essay collection, Changing the Subject: Art and Attention in the Digital Age, the digital now has the appearance of a "common cognitive environment," a pervasive climate or atmosphere escapable only via the kind of enforced digital diet that leaves one open to cries of "Luddite!" Birkerts still does not have a cell phone, let alone a smart one; uses email sparingly; and is awed and baffled by the GPS he rarely employs.
Though I don't rush around, pitchfork in hand, smashing up new-fangled machinery. Well, not intentionally.
This is far more worrying:
In this country numerous Republicans are now tripping over themselves to move to the right of the religious right — with the recent freshman class of the U.S. House reported to include a former Navy Seal who claims Hillary Clinton is the Antichrist, another who claims recent "blood moons" are fulfilling biblical prophecies, and another who proposed reclassifying single parenthood as child abuse.
My late-morning...
... hunter-gathering trip would have been a great deal more successful (root vegetables wise) had it been embarked upon, erm, earlier. No matter. I shall simply defer my next crockpot accordingly. It's drizzling out there but none of the threatened fog stuck around to say "Hi".
Until informed...
... by a throwaway comment made by "Mercury" in 2012 to the review2 written in April 2011 by a film critic yclept "Corndog" I had only the clue of "strong language" to suggest that Richard Weisz...
... was a name used by David Mamet while working on the excellent film "Ronin".
Having now wrangled...
... the "master" videos database file into some form of tidiness, or at least submission, I can now re-feed it through Brian's Python and thence into Kodi with considerably greater chance of increased happiness with the end result.
I've also processed the first few ancient family photos and sent a batch of four on their way to NZ while Big Bro slumbers:
Of course, it helps if you manage to remember to attach all the images to the emails. They are quite hefty files so I'm only sending one photo per email. Wouldn't do to over-strain his broadband out in the sticks.
The drizzle drizzles on. I've made fresh tea and I'm now — despite the ongoing Mahler — going to change my entertainment tack for a while.
As midnight approaches...
... Big Bro now has a further 22 photos to jog loose a few more family memories. If they're not too calcified. And — typically — dear Mama's stash of ERNIEs is paying her estate another £25 this month. Me? Nuffin'!