Small Talk: The Welcome Mat

[andidante]

12 hours ago, Netfoot said:

A guy came to buy a motor from me today. ($150!!) His wife jokingly offered to buy Mo. I almost agreed.

Earlier, I was sitting in the bedroom scratching my head. Mo came running in. He stuck his head in the basket of clean laundry. And vomited.

Gimme Hope Jo'anna by Eddy Grant. Ehhh...

Went over to the mall but there were no free tables in the food court. So I wandered off and found one of the few benches that offer a place to sit outside the food court. I was using the phone but the notifications were disturbing shoppers so I turned the volume right down, almost to nothing.

Sent my emails, WhatsApps, etc, and noticed that the phone was down to 3% battery. Whoops! Better get home and charge this baby!

Got home, unlocked and went in, with an urgent need to pee. After that I went to my desk and it was 30 minutes before I thought "Phone! Gotta put that on charge!" I couldn't find it anywhere.

I searched the whole house. Multiple times. The place looks like a bomb hit it! I couldn't call the phone and make it ring because: landline disconnected. And if it was at 2% when I left the mall, it was probably powered down now, anyway! Even if I stopped a stranger in the street and asked them to call the number and the phone was still alive, the volume was set very low, maybe too low to hear.

It's about then I was scratching my head in the bedroom, wondering what to do next.

I searched for five hours. Every nook and cranny of the house that I'd been anywhere near today. Meanwhile I contemplate what it would be like to have no phone, internet, WhatsApp, email, camera, photo album, forums, alarm clock, kitchen timer, maps, calender, calculator, spreadsheets, internet/phone banking, bus schedule app, music player, google.... Not an attractive picture.

By watching the clock on my computer I was able to take my dinner meds only 10 minutes late. And when I went for a pee. Was that the 8:00 dinner meds alarm I could hear? So quiet I wasn't sure if that was what it was? So quiet I wasn't sure what room it was coming from? I walked up and down the passage several times before I concluded it was in the bedroom somewhere. Then I was walking around with my ears peeled over here? No. Over there? No. Back over here again?

Eventually, I followed the noise to a clump of fluff that had escaped Mo's Fortress of Solitude & Dust Bunnies and got lodged under the toe-kick area of a cupboard. And in that clump of fuzz was the phone. Battery at 1%, volume at near zero and alarm almost about to terminate as the 15-minute duration was almost spent....

I have to take steps to prevent this from happening again. I must ensure that if the phone is connected to the home wifi (which it will do if in range) I can send it a signal from my desktop computer and make it alarm.

Then I'm going see what I can do to stop this phone from hiding from me again.

 

Can you make a place to put your phone when you come home from somewhere so that will become a habit for you(and where Mo won't nab it)? I always try to put mine in the same place. I tend to panic when I can't find it. Our internet went out for a short period a few days ago and I realized how much stuff on my phone I use the internet for! Talk about a come to Jesus meeting, LOL

Just now, andidante said:

Can you make a place to put your phone when you come home from somewhere so that will become a habit for you(and where Mo won't nab it)? I always try to put mine in the same place. I tend to panic when I can't find it. Our internet went out for a short period a few days ago and I realized how much stuff on my phone I use the internet for! Talk about a come to Jesus meeting, LOL

Glad you got some money also! 

[Netfoot]

I could create a special place for the phone but I use it all the time so I would need it when I'm at my desk, when I'm in the kitchen timing the rice, when I'm in the bedroom listening to music, when I'm in the bathroom watching YT,....

Besides, having a special place would demonstrate that I am organized! We simply can't have that!

24 minutes ago, andidante said:

Glad you got some money also! 

Me too. But it won't last long. $11 on the phone to get a few minutes, $9 (or maybe $19) in the tank so the van can be used in an emergency, and the balance split between water bill and light bill. It won't make much of a dent in those last two, but it might keep the wolves from the door for a little while longer...

Meanwhile, sunburnt scalp seeping nasty, clear fluid which runs down over my face. O, joy!

Had ham & eggs this for breakfast this morning. Mo got ham, no egg.

He came and complained early o'clock that his water bowl was empty. I filled it up and added a full tray of ice cubes for him. (He likes crunching ice. Not as much as Buddy did, but still.) He immediately ran off to play in the yard without touching the bowl! All that ice was melted and the water back up to normal temperature again before he came back.

Now I have to cook him/us some lunch. I'm thinking rice with channa, topped with tuna. Or tinned veggies instead of the channa. Dinner can be a patty or some ramen or even oatmeal for me. For him, I don't know what. 

[Netfoot]

Formatting on this page is a bit messed up....

Had a long nap this afternoon. Four hours. I'm not even sure that can classify as a nap any more. Woke with my face glued to the pillowcase with sunburn seepage. Lovely.

Golden Years by Bowie. Off his Station To Station album. No question, Bowie had a huge catalogue of great music and nobody can say he was unwilling to innovate!

Mo and I had veggie rice for lunch, with chunk tuna over the top. I cooked a slightly larger than usual pot of the rice so there would be enough for his dinner. I took that bone I've been boiling periodically and cut off any soft tissue (gristle, meat, etc) and added it to his rice for dinner. My dinner was a patty from the freezer. Direct from the freezer because I cleverly neglected to take it out earlier to thaw. It was icy and hard. Still tasted fine.

The 16 bean soup mix has been soaking for the last 48 hours so I will try it in something tomorrow. Maybe I'll make soup! The only other option is to cook it in rice. Apart from the potato flakes the only other things there are here to eat is rice and long pasta. Can't think of a dish using these with spaghetti...

Watched a movie called Memento. Clever plot device. Will say no more, though it isn't a new movie and everyone has probably watched it already.

(The formatting on this page is a real PITA. I'll keep this one short. Partly because being as I slept away half the day, I have little to say.)

On Garden Patrol I found a tee shirt out on the wet grass. It's soaked of course. And I have to draw the conclusion that rain fell while I slept. I never noticed so either there was no breeze to blow it on on me or I was too far under to notice being rained on.

Internet gone again. Twice now, since I started this post. Will attempt to reconnect and send this off. Don't want the forum to have any excuse to eat this all up and replace it with a pointless warning.

Edited March 18 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Four hour naps make sleep later difficult. Didn't get to sleep until after 5:00 and up again before 8:00 do only about 2½ hours. Plus the nap. 

Just took the van out switch some books which I sold to the second-hand book store. Made $45 which allowed mecto top up my phone by $11 (which is how much it needed) and put $19 in the van. Which died twice in the way to the station so maybe the tank was very empty or maybe that is another issue cropping up now. It didn't die on the way back...

Anyway that allowed me to bank an extra $15 so now I can pay a little more towards the water and electricity bills. Unfortunately the internet banking app refused to sign me in, so... Wait! It has logged me in! And it's saying "Your account information is currently unavailable..." Great.

Anyway, I will have to go through the huge collection of tatty books I have here and see what I can sell. The store has a policy of guaranteeing to buy back any book they sold you, at half price. They will also buy other books as well, if they think they can sell them on at a profit. I'll have to go through and see what I have here that has their stamp in it.

Bank info still currently unavailable so I guess I'm "spinin' top in mud" as the old folks used to say. Nobody under the age of 70 knows what that means because nobody under the age of 70 knows what a top is, how you spin one, and why mud would present a problem for anyone trying to do so. I am too old. 

Maybe I should go home and take another nap? I have to figure out what to feed Mo for his lunch. I want to stop giving him corned beef all the time and he must be getting pretty sick of rice. So macaroni with tuna fish maybe? I could eat some of that myself! And it's not like there is a huge list of other options.....

[Netfoot]

So after putting three teaspoons of fuel in the van and three minutes in the phone I paid a very little towards the water bill and another very little towards electricity. 

Lunch was macaroni with tuna and corn topping. 

I have four closets in the house that are packed with books. Well, the most easily accessible is only about ⅔ full. Anyway, I went through and pulled out all the books and piled them on the bed.

Quite a few have deteriorated to the point where the covers are coming off or are very tatty. I went through and ruthlessly separated them into 1) books so deteriorated they will have to be chucked out; 2) books that I want to actually keep; 3) books I don't want and will attempt to sell; 4) books I will try to sell but want to read again first. 

I will try to sell around 90 of them, read and then sell about 10, and keep about 30. Of the 90 to sell, 30 or so originally came from the second hand book store who guarantee to take them back at half price. So those 30 I can definitely sell and of the remaining 60, I might get some sold, maybe not. There isn't a lot of money involved. I'd be lucky to get three to four bucks for the best of them, one dollar would be what the majority are worth.

But I have three more closets full! And the books really need to be sorted out because they are just taking up space. And in the sorting, I might find Cryptonomicon and/or Snow Crash!

Now, the guy at the bookstore who does the buying says he is there on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I saw him today but he says that is only by chance. But I have a handful I want to read again before selling and I don't want to delay. So unfortunately the book I am currently reading will have to go on the back-burner. I hate to do it, especially since I'm starting to get the hang of the language. But I am 700+ pages from finishing it, so back-burner it is.

Dinner for Mo was scrambled egg with ham. I was going to settle for bean-mix boiled in stock and eaten with a spoon. More bean stew than bean soup. But Mo complained (rightfully) that his scrambled egg & ham was "less", so I boiled more macaroni. He had a second course of macaroni with some beans over it and I had the same but with more beans. I didn't have any issues but Mo's bowl, while devoid of macaroni had noticable deposits of beans left at the bottom.

Gospel Plow by Screaming Trees. This can be found on their final album Dust, released in 1996. While not the commercial success of earlier releases, many think this to be their finest album of all. I certainly prefer it. Dylan released a track with the same name several decades before, but I don't waste a lot of time listening to Dylan.

My sunburnt head and face has not seemed nasty fluid all day, nor has it been at all painful. However, the peeling will start soon and that, while painless, will be a real pain. 

Well, midnight is staring me in the face and I have 10 books to read. I want to have a shower because those books were dusty as hell and I look like a sweep! And while I didn't sleep much last night, I'm yawning already. 

I should have started this book-sorting over the weekend. I have a boxful of ratty looking books to dispose of and the binmen came early this morning so we won't be seeing them again for at least another week. Here is what I'm talking about:

Edited March 19 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Well, the electricity just went off. I don't know for sure whether it's a disconnection or whether there is just an outage in the neighborhood. I rushed out and there was no sign of anyone doing a disconnection but nowadays I think they can do it remotely. Also, I can see no sign of life at any of my closest neighbors so I can't check whether they still have power or not. But given my circumstances, I expect I've just been cut off. Despite having paid $120 yesterday. If I'd known they were going to cut me off anyway, I'd have paid the money towards the water bill!

So with no electricity that means no fridge, no computer and no kettle. 😕

At least I have some books to read.  But I gotta figure out how to charge my phone!

Mo insisted I open up and let him out at three o'clock this morning. He really is nocturnal.

Going to go back outside and see if I can confirm that it is a disconnection.

ETA: My immediate neighbor has power, so we know it's a disconnection. Guess we'd better eat the stuff in the fridge that will spoil. Ham and rice for lunch & dinner, then.

Edited March 19 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

There is a bulb that burns in the garage, 24/7. A low-wattage security light, sort of thing. Obviously, it isn't on right now.

Puppy noticed it was off he became quite upset and barked furiously at it for 10-15 minutes until I could convince him to relax.

I wonder how he is going to react to the dark of night?

Anyway, going to get his dinner ready before full dark is upon us. Rice cooked with the balance of yesterday's bean soup/stew with the remainder of the ham, diced. We had it for lunch and he will have the remainder for dinner. I will eat the last remaining patty so it won't get a chance to spoil.

With the small saucepan empty I might even boil water and make a cup of tea!

Ok, I hear him outside barking, so let me get on that. 

[Netfoot]

Managing without lights is not as easy as it sounds. You forget you will be in darkness when making your plans.

No, you won't be able to read instead of watching a movie. And how are you going to prep food in a kitchen that is gloomy/dark under the best of circumstances?

This torch has a belt/pocket clip that allows it to be attached facing either way. Fixed to the bill of this cap, wherever I look, the torch illuminates. With the beam set to low, I can set out baby's dinner, brew a cup of tea and even read. On medium, I can go on Garden Patrol. (This torch, or one like it, is what I take in Patrol every night anyhow.) On bright, who knows? Flash and SOS modes are pretty useless other than pretty specific circumstances, but that isn't relevant now.

The cap, BTW is camo, one of two purchased in the UK for £5. Camo is illegal in this country and I can get a three-month jail sentence for wearing it in public. So I rarely do. You usually just get a bollicking, but jail is an option. You aren't even supposed to bring camo items into the country and Customs & Excise will seize camo items if they find them.

Music tonight.....😂 Sorry. No fan either and it was hot and still earlier but there is now a very gentle, cool breeze in the window. I think I will miss the quiet sound of the fan more than the movement of air, unless the breeze goes away again. 

Still got about 150 pages to go in the book I started today. Want to finish because I want to sell it tomorrow, if possible. I'd be finished already but for falling asleep this afternoon. Another example of bad planning for people without electricity: daylight is for doing things that you need light for, like reading, cooking, etc. Save the falling asleep for the hours when you have no lights.

So I won't say much more. I can hear Mo raising hell outside the bedroom window. Not sure what has upset him.... Oh, here he is now. What's up, babe? He isn't saying. He just shouldered me out of the window so he could look out. Now, he is washing my feet. 

Gonna go before he pushes me away again and internet drops. Got a book to finish, too!

Edited March 20 by Netfoot

[andidante]

10 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Well, the electricity just went off. I don't know for sure whether it's a disconnection or whether there is just an outage in the neighborhood. I rushed out and there was no sign of anyone doing a disconnection but nowadays I think they can do it remotely. Also, I can see no sign of life at any of my closest neighbors so I can't check whether they still have power or not. But given my circumstances, I expect I've just been cut off. Despite having paid $120 yesterday. If I'd known they were going to cut me off anyway, I'd have paid the money towards the water bill!

So with no electricity that means no fridge, no computer and no kettle. 😕

At least I have some books to read.  But I gotta figure out how to charge my phone!

Mo insisted I open up and let him out at three o'clock this morning. He really is nocturnal.

Going to go back outside and see if I can confirm that it is a disconnection.

ETA: My immediate neighbor has power, so we know it's a disconnection. Guess we'd better eat the stuff in the fridge that will spoil. Ham and rice for lunch & dinner, then.

Do you think if you called them tomorrow and told them you paid some money they would turn you back on? Also will the welfare people help with any of this? I just feel so bad for you!

[Netfoot]

Book finished.

The cool, gentle breeze translated into a shore but he's u shower of rain. When it ended, so did the breeze. It's going to be an uncomfortable night.

The rain also ended in a very wet dog, who has been cantering back and forth in the wet grass like a demented racehorse ever since. He's come in twice to dry off. I think he is unhappy about the unusual circumstance of the security light not being lit. He didn't like that even during full daylight. But that light has been out for a day or two before. When the bulb blows it usually takes a few days to get it replaced. So maybe it is that he is unhappy with the fact that all the lights are unlit.

There is also anothet dog somewhere in the neighborhood that is "machine gun barking." I just made up the term to describe it. He's barking loud and fast without pause for 1-2 minutes non stop. Then he pauses, probably to catch his breath. Soon, he starts up again and we get another 1-2 minutes of non stop barking, before he paused again to reload. Obviously something has him quite perturbed.  Mo is not happy about this. It clearly makes him nervous and he is already outside his comfort zone.

My eyelids are in full flutter, like a country virgin in a burlesque show. The MG again. It makes reading a bit difficult.  Fortunately, the flutters come and go in waves and they go for longer than they come. Maybe 20 seconds every 10 minutes. Not painful or even all that uncomfortable but inconvenient and annoying.

Will try to find the shower in the dark and then lock up and see if I can get some sleep.

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, andidante said:

Do you think if you called them tomorrow and told them you paid some money they would turn you back on? Also will the welfare people help with any of this? I just feel so bad for you!

The amount paid was $120 and the monthly bill is around $150 or a bit more. If the payment I'd made was enough to clear the oldest month of arrears (not sure exactly how much that is) they might have agreed to turn the lights back on again. But since it wasn't as much as an average month, I think there is little or no chance that they would listen. They might even insist on a full payment of all arrears plus a reconnection fee before restoring the service.

Don't remember if Light & Power charge a reconnection fee or not. The Water Authority does.....

[Netfoot]

Just back from a visit to Light & Power. If I pay$207.54 they will reconnect me but the next bill will be out in 7 days so I should really psy $347.02 to take that I to account. And these numbers do take into account the $120 paid on Monday. Oh, and the reconnection fee is $23.50 ($20 plus VAT).

Stopped at the bookstore but only came away with $10. 

Over at the mall,sitting in the food court. How come nobody I know comes along and offers to buy me lunch? Or a coffee? Don't suppose it matters. Last person who did was Wayne, and I declined his offer. 

[Netfoot]

A good friend has offered to assist me with expenses by lending me a sum of money. No actual amount has been named so it may not be sufficient to regularize the electric or water situation, but even a small amount would be a help, even if just to shop for some extra groceries. 

I declined. I expressed my gratitude for his generous offer but I explained that no matter if he helped with all the bills, in a months time there would be a whole set of new bills and I'd be back to square one. The only difference would be that he would mow be out of pocket.

His wife called, very insistent that I accept their offer. After only 45 minutes on the phone I agreed to think it over and let her know in the next few days 

I still feel that all it would achieve I'd to delay the inevitable and cost them money at the same time. if I thought that a job would surface and normalcy would then gradually return, I might accept the offer but 4½ months of job hunting (while dealing with QEH, MG and a lack of biopsy needles) and I am no nearer to finding a job. In fact, the way people have reacted to my inquiries leave me convinced that finding a suitable job is unlikely.

As a result, I feel I should decline the offer. I agreed to think about it because she didn't appear to want to take no for an answer over the phone. But I'm feeling I should stick with my original decision.

Am I making a mistake?

Dinner tonight was oatmeal. Mo always comes along and polishes my bowl for me when I eat oatmeal so I figured he would be OK with oatmeal for dinner. He ate a bit but refused about half. Mo's wellbeing is a driving factor in all my decision making these days. There is food in the larder but it won't last for ever. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Take the money. 

[andidante]

10 hours ago, Netfoot said:

A good friend has offered to assist me with expenses by lending me a sum of money. No actual amount has been named so it may not be sufficient to regularize the electric or water situation, but even a small amount would be a help, even if just to shop for some extra groceries. 

I declined. I expressed my gratitude for his generous offer but I explained that no matter if he helped with all the bills, in a months time there would be a whole set of new bills and I'd be back to square one. The only difference would be that he would mow be out of pocket.

His wife called, very insistent that I accept their offer. After only 45 minutes on the phone I agreed to think it over and let her know in the next few days 

I still feel that all it would achieve I'd to delay the inevitable and cost them money at the same time. if I thought that a job would surface and normalcy would then gradually return, I might accept the offer but 4½ months of job hunting (while dealing with QEH, MG and a lack of biopsy needles) and I am no nearer to finding a job. In fact, the way people have reacted to my inquiries leave me convinced that finding a suitable job is unlikely.

As a result, I feel I should decline the offer. I agreed to think about it because she didn't appear to want to take no for an answer over the phone. But I'm feeling I should stick with my original decision.

Am I making a mistake?

Dinner tonight was oatmeal. Mo always comes along and polishes my bowl for me when I eat oatmeal so I figured he would be OK with oatmeal for dinner. He ate a bit but refused about half. Mo's wellbeing is a driving factor in all my decision making these days. There is food in the larder but it won't last for ever. 

Please take it. I know it is hard to accept money, but it may help you right now at least get the electricity back on and maybe some groceries? 

[Notabug]

I agree, take the money with gratitude.  If the shoe were on the other foot, wouldn't you do the same for them?  Let next month take care of itself; you need help in the here and now.  They wouldn't be offering if they were worried about getting paid back.

[Netfoot]

Early. Have not even had my dinner meds yet, nor gone on Garden Patrol.

Gave Mo his dinner early. I mixed corned beef and flour, rolled into balls, flattened each ball and fried in oil. I dunno what they tasted like. I was tempted to take a nibble but there weren't a huge number of them.  Mo liked them well enough and he also liked the peanut butter and jelly on eclipse biscuits for his desert. The same biscuits that were supposed to be my dinner... Well, we had a tasty rice with 16 bean mix and kernel corn for lunch.

Didn't do much else today. Reading, mostly. Got two books going at the same time. A terrible old copy of A Man Called Intrepid written by Intrepid himself, with all the leaves loose like a pack of cards. One last read before it gets thrown in the "to dump" box. And a sci-fi novel by Orson Scott Card called The Folk Of The Fringe, a post-apocalyptic story of travel across a wasted landscape populated by tribes of savages. Just started this one so I don't know where it's going. Yes, I've read it before but the story has not started coming back to me as yet. Reading two because I started Intrepid first but realized when night fell that managing all those loose leaves in the semi-dark might be problematic. 

I feel grubby tonight despite having done virtually nothing today to cause grubbiness. But I will relish my shower later. I'm not sleeping well due to the lack of the fan. Not so much from the heat but because with no constant air flow, the mozzies are being particularly troublesome. Not to mention that a mozzie-killer is wired in to the same switch as the fan but with no juice for the fan, the mozzie-machine isn't working either. Plus, I usually wrap in a sheet which can help with the little bastards, but with no fan it's often too hot to wrap up. Fortunately there is a cool breeze in the window tonight, so far at least, so we will see what we will see.

The alarm for dinner meds has rung and been snoozed... And here it goes again. Better go take my meds, fetch my fellow Patroller and venture out into the garden. Yes, it's early but there is no real advantage to waiting. It's as dark as it's going to get and Mo can't tell time anyway. So I'll go get that done, take my shower and after reading a little bit, call it a night.

[Netfoot]

Last night, Mo demanded inlet him out at 22 minutes past midnight. I let him out and locked the door. Next thing I knew, he was under the bedroom window barking such as to rouse the entire neighborhood. So I had to let him in again. And so it went, in and out, all night long, until at around five I opened up and gave him freedom to come and go. That puppy can be a real challenge when he wants to! He can be in or out of he wants to. I like him cuddling up with me, but if he wants to spend the night outside, that's his choice. Same as Dotty and Bud had. But Mo likes to spy out the bedroom window. He likes the elevated viewpoint. He can see over the wall better. So when he is outside, he barks like hell under the window to be let in, does his reconnaissance out the window then demands to becket back out. 

I smell minestrone soup. My mind is obviously going.

The problem with not having a phone or internet in the house is that you rely 100% on your phone for communications. The problem with not having electricity in the house, is keeping the phone charged.

The battery in my phone is a hair under 3,000 mAh and because the phone is 4-5 years old, it's soft. It doesn't hold a charge like it should. 

I have a 20,000 mAh power pack.

It works great! It can recharge my phone six times over! In fact, it only has one weakness. It's not easy to tell how much juice is left in it! 

If you look close at the bottom right corner you may make out a tiny blue light. There are four of these indicating 25, 50, 75 & 100% charge. What you can't see is that the lone blue light is flashing. This means that it's less than 25%. It needs to be recharged!

Now, I can connect this (and my phone, for that matter) to the double USB charger in my van. But if I do that too often the van battery will be depleted and I'm starting will be a problem. I could start the van to keep the battery charged but there is only a thimbleful of gas in the tank. Not advisable to burn that off with the van just sitting there! So, when I take the van out I charge phone and battery bank as I'm driving. But I don't do a lot of driving any more.

This morning, the bank was at one blue light and flashing. So, somewhere between 1% and 24%, therefore seriously in need of a charge. I wandered over to the mall with the phone, bank, two USB cords and a wall-wart charger. I had previously scouted out a 120v plug with a table and chair next to it. Normally used for product demos, etc. But today, vacant. I took my seat. I plugged everything in to charge. The phone came up to full charge. The bank is still on one flashing blue light. After 1½ hours.

The charger is rated at 2.4 Ah so under perfect circumstances it would deliver 2,400 mAh in an hour. In practice, prolly less. So 8⅓ hours (8:20) to fully charge the bank from flat under ideal circumstances. Or a hair over 2 hours to quarter-charge it. 

Obviously I can't sit here for 8⅓ hours. Security is already looking at me side-eye. One guy asked me if I was setting up a display and I told him I was just sitting. He may be back to move me any moment.... Whoops! Here he is now!

Yep! Gave me a hard time and told me to move immediately. I said "OK, just give me a minute to put my stuff away..." And he started to act in a threatening manner, like I had to leave NOW and couldn't take time to pack up. 

Anyway, the phone is at 100% and hopefully* the bank moved from closer to 1% and nearer to 24%. I can go and sit at the bus stop all afternoon and recharge from their solar powered charge port but I think I will go home and spend the afternoon with Mo instead. 

*Hopefully. See what I mean about the one issue with the bank? I sat there with the thing on charge for 1½ hours or more and still only one flashing blue light. No idea if or what improvement in charge I was able to achieve!

[Netfoot]

Just went out on Garden Patrol and guess what I found?

Mo is very consistent, I'll give him that. He is lying on the foot of the bed, trapping my feet with his bodyweight and alternately cleaning his toes and nibbling my toes.

Macaroni and corned beef for Mo's lunch and dinner. I had corned beef with mayo on eclipse biscuits and Mo took his tax on that as well. No dinner for me tonight.

Cleaned out book cupboard #2. The "to dump" pile got larger, the "to sell" pile got larger, the "to read before dumping/selling" pile got larger and the "to keep" pile got considerably larger. I'm going down to see if the book shop will take any of the "to sell" books but even if he takes some, he isn't going to take dozens of them because he won't want to pay out a large amount on books all at once.

Still no sign of Cryptonomicon or Snow Crash. I'm getting worried. I know I had them here but I just can't find them and the places they could potentially be hiding are getting fewer in number.

I've learned of another second hand book store over near Batt's Rock, but I have no idea what there deal is and Batt's Rock us over on the other side of the city and heading north up the coast road. It's a 12km journey one way and gas is short. I'm thinking I will have to call and find out what's their deal.

They may sell second hand books but that doesn't mean they buy them. The RSPCA for example, sell second hand books And every book is $2 but they never buy books - their entire stocks are donated. Much like The Ark Book Tent.

(I tried giving books to The Ark once. They turned me away and insisted they come to collect them at my house. So instead of going to them at a time which was convenient for me, when I knew they would be there, I had to wait on them to come to my house, at a time that was convenient to them and most inconvenient to me. They are good people and I support them as best I can because they gave me Mo and Budweiser. But they are my last avenue for book disposal these days.)

So I'm reading in bed, and in a while I may go brew a cup of tea and have a shower while it draws. But I won't read too late. May as well sleep while it's dark and rise in daylight.

[Netfoot]

At the mall. Water still connected at home. I'm amazed at that, frankly. I thought they would cut that off weeks ago! Maybe I should not talk so fast. It might be off when I get back home. 

Food spoils. A tin of bully beef which I can eke out into a number of meals over a week, will spoil if left in the fridge warming cupboard for much past a day. This will force Mo and I to eat up our meagre supplies faster than usual. I think we have six tins of tuna and five tins of corned beef left. Might be possible to cook up an entire tin and just keep boiling it again three times a day to stop it going bad, while dipping out a little every day to spice up our meals. But cooking gas is very low.

Some pasta and a very small amount of rice remain. Flour for fry-bread and/or dumplings, too. Some cans of stuff that can be added to improve rice. Like a tin of corn, a tin of mixed vegetables and 3-4 tins of channa. Oh yes: mashed potato flakes. 🤮 There are several packets of dried beans & peas but after these are soaked and softened they have to be kept from spoiling. I just had to throw out the last of the 16-bean mix because I didn't like how it looked. So I can't soak a whole package of beans/peas now. Got to soak just enough for the rice I'm planning to cook tomorrow night. And as I said, I got very little rice left to begin with. Got a $10 in my pocket from the last set of books I sold. If I can get a few more dollars today I will buy rice and what ever else the money will stretch to. A 1,750 gr. bag of rice costs around $6.50 to $7.00 so the tenner should be enough for at least one bag and a bag of macaroni elbows or twists or something. Short pasta is easier to cook up, season and split with Mo but long macaroni (bucatini?) is cheaper by the gram. 

Got the phone recharged in the car this morning and stuck the power bank in there as well. Left it at one solid and one flashing blue light so slow progress is being made. Hopefully not at the expense of killing the car! The van (and the bank and the phone) will have a chance to charge up off the alternator when I run down to the book den later. Hopefully. I also have to find a way to charge the torch light batteries I'm using at night. The same USB outlet in the car will charge them but I have to try and limit what drain I put on the car. 

I live in a hurricane zone and essentially, always have.  It's surprising how poorly I am equipped to deal with an extended power outage. As a ham radio operator I've monitored other islands that have dealt with such. I recall the wonder in a guy's voice on the 20 meter band, SSB, when he said that he was seeing lights coming on in the city. Three weeks after the storm. 

I think a solar panel with a charge controller and 12v battery is a sensible thing to have in this location. Why don't I have such a setup? I know several people, more and more as time passes, have panels on their roof and use solar power for at least some of their household needs. More affluent people than me!

Also useful: a low-draw light source - say a LED device - portable, with a rechargeable battery of its own and a way to recharge it from the 12v battery or direct from the panel. Not that I can afford anything like that now, when I can't even afford a sack of potatoes. But food for thought. 

Anyway, it's approaching 1:00 PM and I'd better go home and see how many blue lights are lit on the bank, and check if the car will start. 

Edited March 23 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Sold one book ($5) and the guy said "Come back on Monday and I'll look at the rest and see if I want any." No problem - I'll just burn more of my dwindling gasoline...

Bought 1,750 gr. rice, 3 bags penne regatta, and four tins tuna. All at a price less than expected. 

Still only one solid and one flashing blue light on the bank, but the phone is charged again.

[Netfoot]

Two solid and one flashing blue lights. Stopped charging at that point. 

[Netfoot]

I'm thinking it may be time to implement a One-Meal-Per-Day policy. If Mo comes and says he is hungry he can have another meal. If *I* am, I guess I might as well. Or just have a cup of tea.

Edited March 24 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Considering the possibility of purchasing biopsy needles and making them available to QEH for use in my case. I presume there are 1,000 different types of needle and I'd have to find the exact one they need. Also, they may need more than one, but I hope not. And finally, will QEH policy allow a patient to provide their own biopsy needles?

Biopsy needles can cost as much as $500+ for a box of 10. So it's all academic, but worth at least thinking about.

Many patients do pay for and provide supplies for themselves. When I was getting skin grafts in there in 1991 I had to provide my own bandages - Radial Net - when they ran out and there was no more money on the budget. (Minister of Health, Mr. Brandford Taitt, stole at least $27,000,000 and didn't even get a slap on the wrist. The story of the Public Enquiry into the theft is a comedy show!) The family had to keep the Radial Net secure so the nurses didn't use it on every other patient on the ward.

But a biopsy needle is not the same as a bandage.

[Spunkygal]

I was wondering if any of the book shops could use part time help? You’d be perfect! 

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I was wondering if any of the book shops could use part time help? You’d be perfect! 

Well, there aren't that many. 

The second-hand book store I have been talking about is a time little place, run by one guy. The other book stores around me I've already made inquiries with no success. The place down near Batt's Rock is new to me. I have to get down there and see if they will but any of the books I'm discarding. I will also ask about work. However, I've been asking around about the place and they only open 4 days a week. That would be better than nothing, but.....

If I get down there on Wednesday (when next they open) I will be looking around in the neighborhood at any potential openings at any nearby businesses.

[Netfoot]

Started the van to top off the battery. It ran for 2 minutes and died. Restarting, it will run for 1-2 seconds and die again. Tank is dry. Lucky to get home last time out!

Made a cup of tea. The milk has spoilt. The shelf life of those cartons is 2-3 months but once opened, they must be refrigerated.

[Browncoat]

3 hours ago, Netfoot said:

However, I've been asking around about the place and they only open 4 days a week.

Perhaps if he had help, he could be open more than four days a week?

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Browncoat said:

Perhaps if he had help, he could be open more than four days a week?

I will suggest that. But with the van not running - presumably due to insufficient fuel and not some other issue - just getting there on Wednesday will be a challenge.

I've arranged to take 200+ books back to the Book Den tomorrow for him to look over and that won't be possible either.

I could spend $10 out of the rent to put some gas in the car and replace it out of what I get for the books. But if he decides not to buy anything, how do I pay rent next week? 

And even if I decided to risk it, how would I get the van to the station to fill up? I don't have any fuel cans. Everybody borrows my cans and nobody ever brings them back. Except those who bring them back contaminated with paint or something, making them only suitable for throwing out. I should really stop lending out fuel cans. No tools, no records CDs, no textbooks... And now no fuel cans.

ETA: Ironically, I now have to find someone to lend me a fuel can, just as I vow never to lend one out, ever again. 

Mo and I shared a pack of Eclipse biscuits with PB&J for lunch. Rice & channa with tuna for dinner, probably.

Edited March 24 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Just threw out ½ liter of sour milk. 

But! In the process I discovered another unopened (and therefore pristine) liter! So tea! 

And I've been 'lowancing the milk, to use my mum's term. To make it last. Since this newly opened liter will be sour in 2 days at the most, I can use as much as I like. Very milky tea, 10 times a day! Milk in the pasta sauce for extra creaminess. Long, glasses of milk over cubes of ice to cool my afternoon!

Wotcha gonna do? Phone back at 37% and the bank stuck at 2½ blue LEDs. Could continue to charge it from the van but if I can't run the engine to top off the battery that is a slippery slope.

[Spunkygal]

I bet one of your mates from the club would bring you some gas in a gas can.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

I bet one of your mates from the club would bring you some gas in a gas can.

Maybe.... Will see who is receptive to that idea.

Edited March 24 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Oh, man. I think I've broken a bone in my wrist. 

You may recall a few weeks ago I hurt my right hand. I was saying my thumb, but it's actually the index finger but way back where it meets the thumb. (Checks Google...) Metacarpus? Of the right index finger? Just near where the thumb joins on. 

I don't know what caused it; I must have whacked it on something.

Well, over the past several weeks the pain has slowly diminished but never gone away. Until this afternoon. I managed to whack it again in exactly the same spot. 

I saw stars. It felt like Wiley Coyote had dropped an Acme safe on it from a great height. It's now hurting more than ever before. And that's if I don't use it for anything. If I try to use that thumb (and what is a hand without a thumb other than an ape's appendage?) it gets even worse. So maybe a tiny crack in that bone? It doesn't feel tiny. But them I'm in a frail frame of mind today because my back has been giving me all sorts of trouble since last night as well. So it looks like tonight will be a Panadol night.

Mo and I enjoyed rice & channa with tuna. We split it equally. I finished mine, all bar a spoonful for Mo to tax and he was right there waiting. After he'd polished off my leftovers I glanced at his bowl and there were several spoons left in it! Which he went back to when my bowl was gleaming. 

This was three plus hours ago so we may get hungry again before bed time. All I can think of is oatmeal which Mo is iffy on, or the last pack of Eclipse biscuits with PB&J again.

My torch just went out. Don't need it for the phone and besides I have two more right here. Phone is at 94% and charging but this is from the battery bank which is obviously discharging. I'm gradually draining the life out of everything. (Same as the life is draining out of me.) I need to find a place I can put the bank and a bunch of torchlight batteries to charge.

Just gone eight. Time for dinner meds, shower and sleep. 

Mo: Indefatigable. 

[Netfoot]

The adventure continues.....

[Netfoot]

It's been a long day.

This morning, my friend arrived at my house and handed over some cash that he and his wife have been urging me to take. I was conflicted about this as I've said previously. But I accepted with thanks because frankly, things were getting pretty grim around here.

He also brought a gallon of gas, @Spunkygal !

So with cash in hand and gas in car, I did some arithmetic, then, scooted over and paid the phone bill at the mall. Then, the Book Den where I sold 11 books ($25). Next, Barbados Light & Power to pay the electricity and get juice back in the house. The supermarket next, because I'd lost my rewards card and that's where I remember seeing it last. They had found it and I now have it back. (I asked what is the procedure for requesting a replacement for a lost card. "Just dial the number on the back of the card..." Sort of difficult, if you've lost the card!)

While in that supermarket I bought about 4½ Kg of "scraps". More later.

Next stop, the Water Authority where I paid that bill. Water never did get cut off, but was convinced I was only a day or two away from that particular disaster.

Finally Popular supermarket, which is cheaper than the one I visited earlier but don't (as far as I know) sell "scraps". Bought a few items, potatoes, onions, sausages, cheese, carrots, cucumbers, milk, etc.

Returned home to find the power on, the water (still) on, and the phone off! Now that was very unexpected because their computer usually reconnects you instantly, upon receipt of payment. And it had been 5 hours, so... ?!??

Back over to the mall where the telco office is. "Did you try switching it off and back on again?" Well, it was off for almost a full week, then BL&P switched it back on for me. So a technician has to come and see what's wrong. Godnozewhen.

But I don't think there is anything wrong. See, they  switched me to "Royal Status". The guy in the office said this reduces my rate from $150 a month to $20 a month. "Surely," I said, "that's just a holding fee. To preserve my account. They're not going to provide actual service for 7½% of their normal charge?" Well, he insisted they would, and congratulated me on my good fortune for achieving Royal Status. 

But still not connected. So I'm pretty sure he has misunderstood, and that while I remain in Royal Status the service will not be reconnected. Let's hope the technician comes soon and we can clear this up because I'm still hanging out the bedroom window for connectivity.

One thing. In each case, electricity, phone, water, the balance has been considerably less than I expected. It's true that I've been making small payments on account when ever a few bucks came along. I guess even small payments add up and bring down the overall balance. Obviously. I just wasn't expecting that the payments I'd made would have brought the balances down that much. In each case I went in, hoping to pay some of the arrears but found the balance low enough that I was able to clear all arrears and the current balance.

History by The Verve. This is off A Northern Soul, a highly regarded album of theirs but not my favourite (which is Urban Hymns).

Yes, with light comes song and a fan blowing on me in bed.

Mo accompanied me upon my journey today. He returned home after hours in the car, hot and thirsty. We got back way too late for lunch so we had cheese on Eclipse for tea, switching to PB&J halfway through the pack of biscuits. Later, I gave him an enormous ostrich drumstick for his dinner. Well, it's supposed to be turkey but believe me, only an ostrich could have produced that!

I flensed the meat off the bone and fried it up in a pan. When it was ready I deglazed the pan to make a little gravy and poured it over the meat in his bowl. I'd originally planned to cook it in rice and share it with him, but in the end I decided to give him the whole thing, unadulterated by any carbs or veggies. He was a trooper today and I thought he deserved the treat. I had a glass of iced water. Mo demanded his tax: he crunched up half the ice....

I will pop out shortly and brew up. While it draws we will do our Garden Patrol. I had to throw away another half liter of spoilt milk this morning, but I bought two fresh liters today, and with the fridge running again spoilage should not be a problem.

Ok, it's nearly eleven so time for the boys to Patrol!

BTW, while carefully spending money today, I did go and splurge a whole $3 at the mall:

The old one will no doubt surface tomorrow.

Tuckered out pupper takes afternoon nap.

And hogs the pillows, of course!

Edited March 26 by Netfoot

[andidante]

38 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

It's been a long day.

This morning, my friend arrived at my house and handed over some cash that he and his wife have been urging me to take. I was conflicted about this as I've said previously. But I accepted with thanks because frankly, things were getting pretty grim around here.

He also brought a gallon of gas, @Spunkygal !

So with cash in hand and gas in car, I did some arithmetic, then, scooted over and paid the phone bill at the mall. Then, the Book Den where I sold 11 books ($25). Next, Barbados Light & Power to pay the electricity and get juice back in the house. The supermarket next, because I'd lost my rewards card and that's where I remember seeing it last. They had found it and I now have it back. (I asked what is the procedure for requesting a replacement for a lost card. "Just dial the number on the back of the card..." Sort of difficult, if you've lost the card!)

While in that supermarket I bought about 4½ Kg of "scraps". More later.

Next stop, the Water Authority where I paid that bill. Water never did get cut off, but was convinced I was only a day or two away from that particular disaster.

Finally Popular supermarket, which is cheaper than the one I visited earlier but don't (as far as I know) sell "scraps". Bought a few items, potatoes, onions, sausages, cheese, carrots, cucumbers, milk, etc.

Returned home to find the power on, the water (still) on, and the phone off! Now that was very unexpected because their computer usually reconnects you instantly, upon receipt of payment. And it had been 5 hours, so... ?!??

Back over to the mall where the telco office is. "Did you try switching it off and back on again?" Well, it was off for almost a full week, then BL&P switched it back on for me. So a technician has to come and see what's wrong. Godnozewhen.

But I don't think there is anything wrong. See, they  switched me to "Royal Status". The guy in the office said this reduces my rate from $150 a month to $20 a month. "Surely," I said, "that's just a holding fee. To preserve my account. They're not going to provide actual service for 7½% of their normal charge?" Well, he insisted they would, and congratulated me on my good fortune for achieving Royal Status. 

But still not connected. So I'm pretty sure he has misunderstood, and that while I remain in Royal Status the service will not be reconnected. Let's hope the technician comes soon and we can clear this up because I'm still hanging out the bedroom window for connectivity.

One thing. In each case, electricity, phone, water, the balance has been considerably less than I expected. It's true that I've been making small payments on account when ever a few bucks came along. I guess even small payments add up and bring down the overall balance. Obviously. I just wasn't expecting that the payments I'd made would have brought the balances down that much. In each case I went in, hoping to pay some of the arrears but found the balance low enough that I was able to clear all arrears and the current balance.

BTW, while carefully spending money today, I did go and splurge a whole $3 at the mall:

The old one will no doubt surface tomorrow.

 

So glad you were able to take care of your bills and get some food (and a new spatula) in the house. What a good friend you have! Hopefully they can figure out what the problem with the phone is.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, andidante said:

So glad you were able to take care of your bills and get some food (and a new spatula) in the house. What a good friend you have! Hopefully they can figure out what the problem with the phone is.

It is a tremendous weight off my mind and life is certainly much better than it had been this last week!

But it is not the end of our travails. The next light bill drops in two days. Phone on the 21st, thankfully nearly a month away. Water who knows when. The gas cylinder for the stove must be pretty empty too. And the van could use a liter or two.

So things are hugely improved, but challenges continue to surface. It's just great to have this breathing space before it all goes critical again.

Re phone: I'm pretty sure there's nothing wrong with it other than that I need to be removed from "Royal Status". But the guy was very insistent that full service is part of that, so perhaps he is correct? On the off chance he is, I'm not going to insist they discontinue me. $20 is a much more comfortable amount than the $149.64 that I was paying before. I will let them diagnose the issue and if I'm right, well, the bill will return to normal and the service will be restored. If I'm in fact he is right, then I will let them solve the technical problem and restore the service. And I will happily pay them $20 per month until the entropic death of the universe, or until they decide to remove my Royal Status.

Hurt by Johnny Cash. Not a fan, but this is a powerful song. Also have the Nine Inch Nails version, which is a very different sound.

Should have bought eggs, bread. Now I have a spatula again, I could revisit eggy-toast!

Edited March 26 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Woken at five to let a little boy out. Returned to near  pristine sheets. Gradually became aware of uncomfortable spikey things sticking into my skin. By time I finally got out of bed, Mo had transferred well over a hundred burrs and sweethearts from the lengthening grass outside, into the bedroom and on to the bed itself. 

I frequently have to grab him and pick sweethearts out of his wire hair. And (like Buddy before him) if you pick something off him, he demands you give it back. He eats the sweethearts (yuk!) but spits the burrs out onto the floor. Or your pillows. 

Some days I have what I call "metal-mouth". Whatever I put in my mouth, from an egg to a sip of tea, tastes metallic. Chemical. In fact, I don't have to put anything in my mouth; my mouth itself tasted metallic/chemical. Today was one of those days.

I've sat around all day waiting for the telco technician to visit. No show. No call either, seeing as the reason for him visiting is to get the phone working.

Nobody I've spoken to knows about their "Royal" programme and google can't find a single reference. I don't want to call the telco and ask because their caller ID will tell them who I am and may precipitate action on their part. I don't want any action taken before I understand how it works. 

Cut up a hunk of pork and cooked it in a brown gravy. Meanwhile, I made rice with carrot & cucumber. Mo and I split it down the middle for lunch.

Dinner was ribs. Found a rack of 10 ribs starting with small and tapering off with each successive one smaller than the last. I took the largest three but Mo got the remaining seven which massed more than my share. Plus, I cut the skin/fat from mine and he got that too. I cooked some spaghetti to go with mine but that was a bad idea. Spaghetti & ribs is not a good combination and metal-mouth didn't help.tgevbones were more cartilage than anything else so I deemed them safe for puppy consumption.

Watched the old Disney classic Jungle Book today. My problem with a lot of these old classics is that they are presented as musicals. Which I can rarely bring myself to enjoy. (If the story itself is about music, that is different.) So when bears burst into song, I tend to reach for the >FF> button. 

Trapped in the house, I've been charging all day. Battery bank is at four solid blue, and I've been charging all my torches (a dozen or more) plus all the spare batteries. The job is well in hand but not complete yet.

Jingo by Santana, from their eponymous album (their first), frequently and erroneously called "Lion Face". The album's correct name is "Santana". But "Lion Face" is so commonly used everyone will know exactly what you mean if you call it that.

Phone down to 12% so I won't dally. Garden Patrol completed, shower taken, cup of metallic tea consumed and book waiting. I'm speaking of A Man Called Intrepid which is a pack of cards and due to be regretfully thrown out, but not before I give it one more read. May finish it tonight but maybe not because I'm tired.

Found a big tin of diced tomatoes in a cupboard. Unfortunately, it's blown. So I just went and dropped it from about shoulder height directly onto my right instep. The injured finger bone in my right hand now had a matching injury in my right foot. And, yesterday I managed to crick my back so now I'm hobbling about like Quasimodo, grimacing at every step, and howling with paIn if I forget and try to use my right hand, or foot, or twist, turn, bend or flex my back in any way. 

So. Done for today. Will pursue second hand bookshop in Batt's Rock tomorrow. May go to the telco main office, give my name as Fred Bloggs, and ask about Royalty.

Edited March 27 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

More burrs & sweethearts in the bed this morning. Thankfully, there are more of the latter and less of the former growing in the yard.

And will someone tell the landlord to get his ass in gear and cut the yard?

[Netfoot]

Charging continues. All of the torches charged. That includes all the CR123, 10440 and 14500 lithium cells and quite a few of the AA and AAA NiMh cells. Only these spare NiMh remain.

Unfortunately, I've misplaced my bulk chargers that can do 4 cells at a time. I'm charging using two chargers that do a single lithium or NiMh (or NiCd, for that matter) at a time.

Out of the house now, trying to discover more about "Royal" telephone service. Sitting in the belly of the beast right now - the main telco headquarters building. Mo is in the car outside. If I'm never seen again, hopefully he can make his escape!

[Netfoot]

I play sudoku. Usually sitting on a bench at Water Authority or standing in a line at BL&P. I'm not particularly good, but it helps pass the time. I only play games that can be solved by pure logic alone. Guessing shouldn't be allowed, IMHO! Well, you can't stop a guy from guessing, but I won't play if you are required to guess.

I recently realized my OS on my desktop came with a Sudoku game. It can handle lots of different types of sudoku including Sudoku 16 and Sudoku 25. A 16x16 (or 25x25) board using letters rather than the digits found on the popular Sudoku 10. I tried the bigger boards and I was doing OK but I discovered that I was pencil marking the whole board and then deducing from the pencil marks what letters went to solve what cells. 

It was taking me an hour or more to do the pencil marks, which was a simple task but rote and tedious. Once that was done the real puzzle solving could begin. 

So I decided to write a program that would interrogate the game "behind the scenes" so to speak, to read the initial layout of the board, analyze & compute the pencil marks for each cell and push those pencil marks back "behind the scenes" again, to have the pencil marks appear automatically in the game.

It was lots of fun figuring out how to fetch game info out of the game and into my own, home-baked program and write the computed pencil marks back again. And to figure out the valid pencil marks for each cell so I could save an hour doing it by hand every time. 

Took me a couple days before I could read the board from the game, run a routine to analyze the board and generate a list of pencil marks to be written back to the game. 

I noticed that by looking through the generated pencil marks, I would inevitably find some that indicated there was only one legitimate choice for a particular cell. This meant I could not only generate pencil marks but fill in the solution to those cells for which pencil marking indicated only one logical choice for the cell. 

This resulted in a new board with the initial cell values plus the ones I could now compute, along with the pencil marks. 

But the newly computed cell values would eliminate some of the pencil marks. No problem, I just run the board back through the analysis routines to produce new, improved pencil marks. Which indicated more cells with only one possible logical solution. Which required the pencil marks be recomputed again. Which produced results for more cells. Which.....

......means I generate a new puzzle, then run my program which completely solves the puzzle in under a second. 

So my efforts in auto-pencil marking make the game pointless to play. Once my software starts to help with the pencil marking, it doesn't stop until the entire game is solved. Sos all I'm doing is starting s new game and then I get to watch it solve itself.

Pity. I had loads of fun writing the program. There were clever data structures and sophisticated algorithms and elegant passages of code.

Oh well.

Edited March 27 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

It's the "Royal Plan".

"Royal" as in "We screwed up but now we call it an opportunity, not a problem!" As in "You are scum but we call you something much more palatable so we can squeeze more ca$h out of you."

And "Plan" as in the name they have given to the bundle of services they are offering. Like the "Media Madness Plan" for people who want to stream video & music all day. Or the "Royal Plan" for those who don't want their phone number reassigned to a different customer and their physical connection to the network taken away and given to someone else because there are a shortage of lines in the local exchange and a shortage of funds in the bank.

I don't know what plan I was on before, but I paid $149.64 per month for one landline and 60MBit internet. This was a plan I signed up for years ago. It's no longer available, but I was on it, sort of grandfathered in. 

So they switched me to the Royal Plan to preserve my account and my line to the local exchange. It was $10 each to preserve the landline and the internet link. Hence $20 per month. And no, you don't get any actual service for that. The landline has no dial tone and the internet connection is not, uh, connected.

So, after confirming all this (which I pretty much assumed from the start) I asked why my internet wasn't back on again. Well, seems there is something that is amis, but nobody is sure what exactly. Everyone seems quite sure a technician won't have to calls. But they are talking about "raising the incident" so as to get it sorted out ASAP. Well. It's been 11+ hours since I "raised" it with them, but still no dialtone, still no internet.

Oh, and you remember my grandfathered plan which was 60MBit internet for $149.64? Well, that won't be an option when switching back out of the"Royal Plan". I'll have to accept one of the new plans on offer. Like "Fiber Lite". But lucky for me, "Fiber Lite" is $145, or actuallty $4.64 per month less than I have been paying. And the bandwidth goes up to 100MBit or 66⅔% increase over the plan I had before.

Sold one book at the Book Den ($3) but the shop down in Batt's Rock was not interested. So I took the books to the RSPCA. They sell books upstairs. All their books for $2 each. I don't go often because they are on the other side of town. And these days I'm not buying books anyway. I stood around for 45 minutes waiting for someone to come and get the books but nobody gave a shit. Eventually someone told me to take the boxes of books up the stairs and leave them. I told them I was not lugging five boxes of books up the stairs without help. They then said that "Eventually, someone will come snd help you." So, once again, we accept your generous offer of $400 in books for free but entirely at our convenience and no consideration for yours. I considered scattering the books all over the parking lot and leaving for home. But I cooled a bit after two very nice kisses from Mozie, and carried the boxes of books onto the veranda, where I piled them up in front of the stairs. They can move them elsewhere, carry them up the stairs themselves or spend the rest of their lives jumping over them to use the staircase. I don't give a shit what choice they make.

I hate the idea of throwing books out, because I'd much rather they went to some reader somewhere, who might extract some value from them by reading. But the RSPCA will never see another book of mine. And the Book Tent won't either, they already having inconvenienced me on the one time I tried to give them books. And the Batt's Rock guy won't see my face either. I called him this morning to find out if he was interested, but he took my call, told me he couldn't take my call and hung up. Forcing me to drive to Batt's Rock to have him tell me what he could have told me over the phone.

No, from now on, if the old guy from the Book Den is not interested, they are going in the bin. 

The Magician's Birthday by Uriah Heep. 

I am suffering from reflux. Must go and swallow a Nexium before sleep. Got to shut the door anyway.  

Mo and I skipped lunch because we were getting dicked around by book shops and the RSPCA. For dinner, my little trooper had some pork scraps cut up and fried to give some crust, then stewed in a thin gravy. One of the scraps turned out to be a world record holder. For "World's Smallest Pork Chop, Ever". It's literally the size of the ball of my thumb. I set that aside for my own pleasure another day. My dinner was cheese & cucumber cutters. 

Mo is lying on the floor beside the bed. Wonder why he isn't snuggling with me? The tiles are cool, I guess. It is a bit warm, despite a light breeze in the window. Maybe I will fetch a glass of iced water when I take the Nexium. Maybe that would only provide a home for the acid.

Most torches and batteries charged. Found the charger that does 4 cells at a time and the last four are in there charging now. One torch uncharged. It's my black Preon P1. It's around here somewhere, hidden amongst the desk clutter. I used it a few days ago on Garden Patrol. 

Here is a photo of my green Preon P1 with my black Preon P2. (The black P1 is missing.)

The only difference between the P1 and P2 torches is the size of the body/battery tube. Head and tail switch are identical. The P2 carries 2x AAA cells for 3v of power. The P1 is supposed to carry only a single, 1.5v AAA but instead I use a single 10440 lithium cell for 3.7v of power. The maker states that the head of the torch is "not guaranteed" for use with a lithium cell, but I spoke with the designer who said that everyone in the factory uses a P1 with a lithium cell and they have had no issues. Naturally a P2 with 2x 10440 cells will burn prettily, the moment you switch it on. So don't do that. 

Meantime, my P1 Preons are more compact but more powerful than the larger P2 Preons and can be run at reduced (i.e. normal) power on a single AAA if necessary.

By the way, I use the Panasonic Eneloops AAA and AA batteries because they have very low rates of self-discharge. The early ones offered 75% charge retention after 3 years on the shelf without recharging. I think the latest ones are 10 years, but I'm not sure what level of charge retention. Must google it and see.

The reflux is getting annoying now, so I will go take that Nexium, lock the door and call it quits for the night. Of course, the moment I move towards the door the sleepy puppy at my feet will become a dynamo that simply must go outside for a prowl. So the locking up process might take half an hour or more.....

Edited March 28 by Netfoot

[Netfoot]

Still no connectivity. Went to the telco. Again. "We are looking into it and hope to have it resolved today or tomorrow." But tomorrow is Good Friday and this office will be closed. So if it isn't resolved today, nothing will happen until Tuesday morning. And I can't even contact anyone for updates! "We are doing everything we can!"

He wasn't pleased when I said "See you Tuesday!" And walked out.

Last night the reflux went from bad to worse. Even after taking the Nexium, it continued to worsen. I eventually had to go and get two large cushions out of the van and combine them with four pillows so I could get some sleep sitting virtually upright in the bed. Once I wedged myself into that position, I was able to get some shut-eye. More due to my level of tiredness than to anything else. 

5Kg of penne pasta for $18.99 as opposed $1.85 for 400 gr. Of penne. The bulk price is $1.52 for 400 gr. Savings $4.15 over all. Short pasta is easiest to cook up a batch of for Mo and I to share.  Bears thinking about.

Ok, got to go home now. Left Mo with a bowl of chow but he didn't seem too interested. And I need to eat something too. IV Deli is right there and open for business and a nice, fat roti would go down a treat! So I'm oudda here before temptation takes over my soul!

[Netfoot]

Just gone eight and I'm lying in bed to get connectivity. Mo is on the floor next to the bed. He had chow today and I think he is a little ticked off it wasn't some pork or turkey fried up in a nice gravy.

I had cheese cutters fot lunch. They weren't all that great for some reason. Dinner, I just couldn't bring myself to cook. So I peered into the fridge to see what I might eat. I bought a six-pack of Eclipse biscuits today, but there was a 7th pack attached as a promotion. Tri-grain Eclipse.

Ok, I'll have that with cheese as my dinner. Not very good. What's with this cheese anyway? I looked at the label. English? I prefer NZ cheddar, as a rule. What's it say? "New Zealand Veg Cheese" Ugh! Gak! Some sort of synth-food, not even worthy of the name "Cheddar". No wonder everything with it tastes like crap! I finished the Tri-grain with PB&J. Prefer regular, artery-hardening Eclipse just like I prefer artery-hardening cheddar, preferably from NZ!

<sigh> Now what am I to do with the rest of the "Veg Cheese?" Melt it down, stir in some pepper sauce, add flour & milk, pour over boiled macaroni and bake? Godnoze. 

Speaking of baking, I was to get a new gas cylinder for the stove today, And forgot. Four day weekend. Might be able to get one despite the holidays but we will see. The one I'm using is long overdue to run out.

Party Weirdo by Moloko. Off their debut album Do You Like My Tight Sweater? I like this album a lot. Several unconventional and interesting tracks.

Telco calmed me at 4:33 to say they were still working in my issue. Obvious lie, calling just before departing for the day, on the eve of the 4-day weekend. I could hear him jingling his car keys. Either way, no connectivity. My router days it is connected to the WAN but there is no IPv4 internet being provided by the ISP. So putting me on the "Royal Plan" automatically disconnected me from provision of service and putting me on "Fiber Lite" failed to do the opposite. And nobody seems able to make it happen. And I'm not even sure they switched me to "Fibre Lite" yet. Every timi I ask the direct question: "What plan am I currently on?" I get some mealy-mouthed, gobbledy-speak non-answer. 

Got to get up and boil water. So I can brew a mug of tea. Then Garden Patrol, drink the tea, shower, build myself a huge pile of cushions/pillows in case the reflux returns (no sign so far today) and sleep.

It's not even nine o'clock and I'm contemplating sleep. Because I'm old, I guess. But there was a very pretty girl in the line in front of me at Popular this afternoon. So I'm not dead yet...

[b4pjoe]

Just a thought but have you tried rebooting ISP modem if there is one and/or your router?

[Netfoot]

I should have had sausage & egg for dinner. It wouldn't have been hard or taken long. Or even try the eggy-toast again, now that I have a spatula. With or without sausage. Mo would have been happy to tax sausage & egg or eggy-toast or any combination thereof. 

I have a modem/box with fiber from the ISP/telco coming in to it from the local exchange. From this I have RJ-11 coming out to a landline phone and RJ-45 (CAT5 UTP) coming out to a small gigabit switch. More CAT5 runs from there to my desktop. Sometimes additional CAT5 runs to RPi or other machines I might be playing with (none at present).

The modem/box also provides wifi which covers the house and yard. I can currently connect cell to wifi and talk between the desktop & cell without issues. 

With the system now not functioning, I periodically power off the modem/box and the gigabit switch (both on the same switch) and let it come back up again to see if it heals itself. Thanks to Microsoft everybody expects equipment to crap the bed on a regular basis and manufacturers are happy to make gear to this standard. I think the ISP buys these boxes in bulk for about 99¢ per unit.

There is also a reset switch in a hole on the box. I will occasionally poke a toothpick in there and reset the box rather than power cycle it. I can clearly feel the switch actuate and observe the status lights respond to the reset.

The box reports that I am connected to the ISP

but that there is no connection on the IPv4 interface.

I am drawing a conclusion from this that the box & ISP are connecting just fine but that the services (landline phone, internet) are not enabled by the ISP.

You'd think this would be easy to check and rectify if it proved to be so. But apparently nobody has a clue what is going on nor any idea how to fix it 

[Spunkygal]

Regarding the veg cheese, I say give it to Mo and you feast on the items that suits YOUR palate!

[Netfoot]

Mo, peering out the window in the early morning 

Notice two "sweethearts" on his shoulder. There are also a couple clinging to his moustache.

And this is where they end up:

All over the bed in vast numbers because he keeps going out and fetching more!

At least the sweethearts aren't as uncomfortable as the occasional burr he brings in.....

[Netfoot]

INTERNET !!!

Landline phone still out. Nobody knows why. Guy says they will try replacing the modem/box and see if that helps. 

But INTERNET !!!

[Netfoot]

It's great to be online again. Still no landline, but I only use that once and a while.

But otherwise it's been a tough day. Bank holiday, sominhsve so I have not seen nor heard another human for the day, other than the guy who called to say they would try a different 99¢ box to see if the landline could be made to work. And nothing more from him since then either.

Today has been a day typical of weakness and wooly-headedness. I can't do anything without this "ready to faint" feeling in my head. Vision goes grey, find myself toppling in one direction or another and have to grab on to something or extend my arms on both sides like a tightrope walker to balance. Even getting out of bed or standing up from out of the chair is proving hard. 

Ok so no secret - I have medical issues I am dealing with. And the medication brings a host of nasty side effects. But I take the same medication each day. At essentially the same time of day. How come I feel fine some days and other days I feel like I want to lie in bed and sleep until tomorrow? Same condition, same meds... shouldn't my day to day experiences be at least similar?

Anyway, I'm lying in bed and it's nice to know that 1) I don't have to halfway hang out the window to get connectivity, 2) there isn't a stupid "sign-in" procedure to be followed which can take 10 minutes and is not guaranteed to succeed, 3) I won't be kicked off again in anything from 3 seconds time.

Mind you, I have lots of news to catch up with. Collapsing bridges, politically motivated lawsuits, sub-orbital rocket launches.... And there is a girl in Ghana who wants to marry me, and the wife of the ex president of Nigeria wants to give me FOURTEEN MILLION DOLLARS to spend on "good works" as I see fit.

So I will go for the $14M and then marry that Ghanaian girl. 

But first, I got to get some sleep. And it isn't even nightfall yet. And Mozie won't come and cuddle for some reason. 

And anything I drink out of my red cup tastes like burnt plastic.

Edited March 29 by Netfoot