M - something and counting

 Today is the 6th day of the 33rd week, the 16th day of the 8th month, the 229th day of 2024, and:

• Joe Miller's Jest Day - celebrates the publication of the first joke book back in 1739
• National Airborne Day
• National Bratwurst Day
• National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence
• National Energy Multiplier Day
• National Kool-Aid Day - neither I nor either of my kids nor my grandkids ever liked the stuff
• National Men's Grooming Day
• National Roller Coaster Day
• National Rum Day
• National Tell a Joke Day
• Surveillance Day
• True Love Forever Day
• and Voyager 1 is 22h 44m 11s of light travel time from Earth

Quote of the day:

"Being alone with fear can rapidly turn into panic. Being alone with frustration can rapidly turn into anger. Being alone with disappointment can rapid turn into discouragement and, even worse, despair."

~  Mark Goulston - American psychiatrist, executive coach, and consultant

Well I'm confused on how to proceed with the countdown.  

Monday, September 9th, I have to get up early, drive up to the vets and drop Triscuit off for the week - very much a traumatic affair for both of us involving an elaborate chase to get her in the carrier and a long drive to and fro in rush hour traffic - and then the packers arrive to bundle up everything I haven't managed to pack.  Tuesday the 10th, the moving crew comes and take everything - with our elevator situation in this building, that is going to be an expensive nightmare.  Wednesday the 11th, they deliver - and then the unpacking starts.  I pick up Triscuit by Friday evening.    I started figuring it from the 11th, when I am actually in the new place, but I really have to plan from the 9th because that is when it starts, so....

M - 24 and counting

That's not the only thing that I was confused about - the books aren't going away until Monday, not today.  What part of "the 19th" I didn't grasp I have no idea.

I just don't feel like I am doing enough!

Tomorrow I'm going over to pick up the additional fobs and keys for kids and Edith [my cleaning lady and cat sitter for over a decade who volunteered to follow me], lay in some groceries [especially bottled water so I can offer it to workers], assemble lamps, do some more measuring to make sure I got it right, and maybe do some shelf lining.    The plan is also to take over a cooler with freezer items, and some other odds and ends from the fridge.  Maybe I'll take my bathing suit and a towel and treat myself to a swim in the new pool before heading home!

Oh, and the saga of the A/C?  Last night was uncomfortable, but bearable as the temps did go down to around 63°F, but with 83% humidity.  The breeze that had blown all day died at dusk, but I do have a small window fan, so that helped a lot.  The really infuriating part?  As soon as maintenance got to work around 7:30 AM, it apparently occurred to someone that no one had flicked the on switch before leaving!  The A/C came back first thing this morning.  

This and that:

Frank used to take us to Soft Stuff regularly.  It was right across from where the Enchanted Forest used to be, and it was on the same property as the Forest Motel.  There wasn't much seating, and when we had the station wagon, we would sit on the car and swing our feet while eating   I've taken my grandkids to the new place a couple of times, but it lacks the ambiance and they weren't impressed. 

I love the way that the New York Sun tries to claim they are telling the truth while the New York Times is lying when they are trying to drum up readership.  Fact of the matter is, while I have many issues about the NYT's political coverage, the NYS is skewed very heavily to the right and often presents "alternative facts".

Don't know how I feel about AI, haven't dabbled with it much yet.  But I do know from extensive reading in science fiction that when the robots start unexpectedly programming themselves, it is the beginning of the end of an era whether for good or for bad.  

OTOH:  I totally agree with the premise that if an owner is going to raise prices, they need to show what those price increases will do.  OTOH:  all this talk of raising the bidding war for talent makes me uncomfortable.  Back in the day, the O's had one of the best farm team setup in the major leagues.  What happened to that?  

MIT wrote this article for kids that are born this year - but my grandkids are 11 and 9, and I have to think they too will see this future.  Of course, we are optimistically making assumptions that we figure out climate change, don't blow ourselves up with nuclear war, and manage not to descend into autocracy....

So when is a press conference actually a campaign ad being televised for free?  And since there were no consequences for Jan 6th, what if Donnie knows how to steal the election in 2024?  

Remember, Mar-a-Lago was initially approved as a country club, with a guaranty that it would not be used as a residence.  Now?  the rest of the community is getting really pissed off at the inconveniences caused by a security risk.

Joe may be a one-term president, and now a lame duck, but he took a tattered United States international reputation and rebuilt our standing in the world.  

China, having successfully [to no one's surprise] squashed all independent thought in Hong Kong, has ramped up the pressure on Taiwan.  Just another one of those potential explosion points in world tensions.  

Aljazeera is hardly an impartial source of information on the situation in the MidEast, or on American politics, but this opinion piece does hit the nail on the head.  The hostage situation caused by Hamas was inexcusable, no doubt, but Israel has forfeited the high moral ground by their very obvious intention of completely ridding the Gaza strip of any non-Jewish people.  And, I'm sorry, the days when criticizing Israel meant you were anti-Semitic are long, long over.

Once again, the problem with park attendance has less to do with the economy, and much to do with the decisions Disney has made in the past five years even while they raised the prices.  They have eliminated perks for staying onsite:  the Magical Express, package delivery to your resort, free parking, and magic hours.  They have failed to keep the rides in good condition and they are constantly breaking down.  They have reduced cast members' numbers and hours, with the result that the parks are less friendly and definitely less clean.  They eliminated the Imagineers and lost much of their theming.  And they instituted Genie+, which is not only expensive but requires constant use of the phone and the glitchy My Disney app.   

So it wasn't a comet, but a C-type asteroid that formed in the outer regions of the solar system and was not deflected by Jupiter.

I have to admit that, rather selfishly, when the news about Paramount Studios being shut down, my first thought was what about my subscription to Paramount+?   Where was I going to go to watch all of Star Trek, or Ru Paul's Drag Queen races?  

There are still many stories about companies and bosses forcing employees who work from home to return to the office.  Often the issue is that the CRE portfolio has been devalued because the offices are empty rather than actual issues of productivity!  But of course, those on the top in addition to making ridiculous salaries do get to set their own rules no matter what others have to do.  

Does everyone deserve a second chance?  The article makes you think - should a 17 year old who created a heinous crime and spent 16 1/2 years in prison, be allowed back into society again?  After all, his victim still lives with the horror he helped perpetrate.  There are no easy answers....

It was the human ability to assess jobs, then divide and conquer them.  Fortunately or unfortunately, this division of labor seems to be baked into our societies today.  

It's Friday.  It's payday.  

I think I'll close off today with the stunning Astronomy Picture of the day:

Meteor Borealis
Image Credit & Copyright: Jason Dain