Well, I figured out what the bad mood last week was — mourning the disasters of my youth. Not that I was entirely to blame or without help in producing them — at least before the cleanup. It’s amazing what some tears and several imaginary conversations can accomplish. I feel much better this week, which is good because it’s been an adventure.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
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Paul Allen had a company that designed a plane large enough to launch satellites. It’s had its test flight, and appears successful.
Prehistoric cave art found in the Balkans.
More evidence that the US isn’t the only country indulging in idiotic politicians.
Declassified aerial photos taken during the Cold War are beginning to see use by archaeologists. It’s limited due to how the pictures have to be accessed, and the fact that the locations are still classified, but it’s a start.
And apple trees are dying off for an unknown reason.
Sewer construction on Cyprus has brought to light a huge ancient graveyard. It apparently spans about 3000 years, up till late Roman times.
Pennsylvania has an official state amphibian.
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Monday there was a power failure in the neighborhood. It struck about 11:00 AM and lasted till a bit after 2:00. It seems some of the company’s equipment failed, though the notice was no more specific than that.
I found out that my stove has electric ignition, which I thought it was older than that. I was going to bake some cornbread and couldn’t get the oven to light — even using a bamboo skewer, the oven wouldn’t light. I stuck the batter in the refrigerator and finally decided to make some pancakes with it, since the burners were giving me no problems. I’ve had worse.
I had just stuck the remaining batter in the oven to bake when my daughter called asking me to deliver her daughter to volleyball practice. Growl. I turned the oven down by 25 degrees and took the kid to practice. My grandson was not happy with the idea of going to my place — too bad, kid. However, by the time we got home, my daughter was there.
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Tuesday I got a call from the Reed sisters. They want to do a signature quilt in support of one or more progressive candidates for Senate seats in 2020. This would entail collecting signatures at Netroots Nation, which they want me to deal with, since I will be there anyway. If they are given permission to actually do this by the powers that be for the convention, they have promised me minions. I collected 400 signatures in Austin without much help — but that was 11 years ago. If I do this this time, I want minions.
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My birthday was a good day. I had to take both kids to school, so I went to the gym — only stayed about 20 minutes. Then — have I mentioned I am seriously addicted to a couple of online jigsaw puzzle sites? My buddy downbuilding took me to lunch at a McGrath’s Fish House, which no longer has bread pudding on their menu — damn! Their bread pudding provided me a couple of days worth of breakfast a fair number of times.
A couple of phone calls, a whole lot of good wishes on Facebook, and the annual Chess Club party took up the rest of the day.
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Thursday was the MAC Attack for my grandson’s school (this is what they call their version of a race for the arts). With 10 donors and 12 laps, my grandson is guaranteed a T-shirt, which is what he cared about. The email I got gave the start-time for his age group half an hour later than it actually was, so I only saw his last couple of laps.
Thursday was also the first visit the offspring made to the new dentist. They now have the same insurance and are going to the same office I do.
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Friday was the only day with nothing really going on — though I got my bank statement several days before I expected to.
And Saturday was my chiropractic appointment. My foot seems to be finally loosening up. I hope it continues.