Switching devices
Sep. 14th, 2024 07:17 pmIt has been far too long since I last updated, and I really have no good excuse. Honestly, it's because I was accustomed to using Dreamwidth only from my 11-year-old desktop computer, a computer that is now limping along and straining to keep up with the processing involved in opening websites. I associated Dreamwidth so strongly with that specific computer that it never occurred to me to access it from any other device.
In March I took a trip to Hawaii, where I visited various relatives. I enjoyed seeing the gorgeous scenery and spending time with people I typically only interact with online.
I spent the month of April at the Detector Dog Training Center in Georgia, getting a new working beagle. I went a little yarn crazy in my spare time, practicing weaving on various portable pin looms. I've tried patchwork quilting before, but cutting all the little pieces of cloth was so laborious and monotonous, I couldn't see myself ever sticking with it as a hobby. With the pin looms, though, I could make a bunch of little squares and hexagons by weaving them from colorful yarn, and they all have finished edges. Kind of like granny squares on a smaller scale, really. So I bought a bunch of patchwork quilting books as inspiration for designs to use all the little woven shapes. Yes, I have a hobby addiction.
My summer has been relatively uneventful. The big change is that I bought a new laptop, mainly so that I could play World of Warcraft while traveling. I visited friends and family in Michigan, where I played a lot of board games.
I tried growing sweet corn in my garden this year, since I now have wire cages to protect it from wildlife. That experiment was a partial success. The corn grew okay, but it ripened during the two weeks I was away from home. By the time I got back, it was past its prime. I could still eat it, but it was already starchy. I have concluded that, as long as I'm not going to be home at the height of summer, I'd be better off growing things that can be harvested later. Flour corn would work okay, but sweet corn is not worth the effort when I can buy it for cheap at local stores and have it at perfect ripeness.
One thing that is working out well is the squash cage that my dad built around one of my raised beds. I put a zucchini and several acorn squash plants in there with a trellis, and they are quite productive while safe from squirrels. I've already made lots of pickles from the zucchini, as well as eating some fresh. I'm trying a new type of acorn squash, and I'm hoping that it tastes good, because there will be a lot of it. (Also because when I was buying the seeds, I accidentally clicked on the option to buy 1000 seeds instead of 100. Oops.)
Now we're in September, and it suddenly struck me this week that I could call up Dreamwidth on my new laptop. What a concept!
Not that there's much happening right at the moment. Part of the reason why I don't have more to talk about is that I'm being drafted for ridiculous (in my opinion) amounts of overtime. There's a certain unstaffed time slot at the Oakland airport, and the airport is paying the overtime costs for customs inspection in order to allow planes to land during that slot. (If CBP were footing the bill, you'd better believe they'd assign regular staff pronto to avoid those extra costs.) The pool of people eligible to work that time slot is very small, so those of us who can do it are getting drafted repeatedly. It's exhausting and doesn't leave me much energy for other things.
It is a lot of money, though. So I'm splurging a bit and rewarding myself by going on a trip to experience the real Oktoberfest in Munich. It won't be a long holiday, but it should be an adventure.
I also went to the Palo Alto Art Festival a few weeks ago. It's always amazing to see the creative people out there. I ended up buying some ceramic kitchenware hand-painted with Japanese flowers and fruits, plus two original watercolors.
I should get a temporary reprieve from the overtime during October, when the new fiscal year rolls around. Maybe then I'll get more accomplished.
In March I took a trip to Hawaii, where I visited various relatives. I enjoyed seeing the gorgeous scenery and spending time with people I typically only interact with online.
I spent the month of April at the Detector Dog Training Center in Georgia, getting a new working beagle. I went a little yarn crazy in my spare time, practicing weaving on various portable pin looms. I've tried patchwork quilting before, but cutting all the little pieces of cloth was so laborious and monotonous, I couldn't see myself ever sticking with it as a hobby. With the pin looms, though, I could make a bunch of little squares and hexagons by weaving them from colorful yarn, and they all have finished edges. Kind of like granny squares on a smaller scale, really. So I bought a bunch of patchwork quilting books as inspiration for designs to use all the little woven shapes. Yes, I have a hobby addiction.
My summer has been relatively uneventful. The big change is that I bought a new laptop, mainly so that I could play World of Warcraft while traveling. I visited friends and family in Michigan, where I played a lot of board games.
I tried growing sweet corn in my garden this year, since I now have wire cages to protect it from wildlife. That experiment was a partial success. The corn grew okay, but it ripened during the two weeks I was away from home. By the time I got back, it was past its prime. I could still eat it, but it was already starchy. I have concluded that, as long as I'm not going to be home at the height of summer, I'd be better off growing things that can be harvested later. Flour corn would work okay, but sweet corn is not worth the effort when I can buy it for cheap at local stores and have it at perfect ripeness.
One thing that is working out well is the squash cage that my dad built around one of my raised beds. I put a zucchini and several acorn squash plants in there with a trellis, and they are quite productive while safe from squirrels. I've already made lots of pickles from the zucchini, as well as eating some fresh. I'm trying a new type of acorn squash, and I'm hoping that it tastes good, because there will be a lot of it. (Also because when I was buying the seeds, I accidentally clicked on the option to buy 1000 seeds instead of 100. Oops.)
Now we're in September, and it suddenly struck me this week that I could call up Dreamwidth on my new laptop. What a concept!
Not that there's much happening right at the moment. Part of the reason why I don't have more to talk about is that I'm being drafted for ridiculous (in my opinion) amounts of overtime. There's a certain unstaffed time slot at the Oakland airport, and the airport is paying the overtime costs for customs inspection in order to allow planes to land during that slot. (If CBP were footing the bill, you'd better believe they'd assign regular staff pronto to avoid those extra costs.) The pool of people eligible to work that time slot is very small, so those of us who can do it are getting drafted repeatedly. It's exhausting and doesn't leave me much energy for other things.
It is a lot of money, though. So I'm splurging a bit and rewarding myself by going on a trip to experience the real Oktoberfest in Munich. It won't be a long holiday, but it should be an adventure.
I also went to the Palo Alto Art Festival a few weeks ago. It's always amazing to see the creative people out there. I ended up buying some ceramic kitchenware hand-painted with Japanese flowers and fruits, plus two original watercolors.
I should get a temporary reprieve from the overtime during October, when the new fiscal year rolls around. Maybe then I'll get more accomplished.