whatarewordsfor

I went to bed too early and could not get to sleep. I finally did but then at 11:30, the electricity came back. I got up to plug in shit and turn off shit and then, of course, I could not get back to sleep. Finally about 2, I got up and watched the last 45 mins of a show I started in the afternoon. And then, finally, I went back to sleep. Julio and Biggie wanted breakfast at 5:30 so they got it and then I went back to sleep again until 7:30. I think, in all, I got plenty enough sleep.

My emergency hardware did great. Especially, my portable power station. It's the size of a children's shoe box and has all manner of DC outlets and 2 AC outlets and a big light. It cost me about $70. (not available any more so no link but look for 'portable power station' - there are a bunch the size of children's shoe boxes that have the outlets.) I charged it up when I got it in the fall of 2024. When I turned it on yesterday, the charge was showing 100%. I plugged my bed into it and got the head raised for sleeping. I plugged my toothbrush/water pick in and got my teeth ready for sleeping. My plans this morning were to have plugged my coffee pot in to make a cup, plug my induction plate in for scrambled eggs and my toaster in for, well, toast. All easy and doable. And, doable, probably for several days with no more charge required.

Another thing I could plug in but maybe wouldn't would be my toilet. For more than a decade now my toilet has sported a bidet that includes a heated seat. My ass is just used to the finer things and sitting on a ice cube is just a shock it does not appreciate. But, I guess, sacrifices need to be made. It (my ass) loved that the juice was back on this morning.

Timber Ridge sent an email last night saying breakfast would be served at 10 this morning, lunch at 1 and dinner at 5. They totally know how to handle buffets for all of us now. AND the meals today would be complementary. I'm guessing they are still going with that plan. And then tomorrow back to normal.

Oh and unlike last time, when the wifi came roaring back as soon as the electricity did which was very nice to see.

In other news, the IRS sent me an email saying there was news so I checked Where's my Refund which is way easier than logging into my account and, sure enough, they are promising the refund in my account by Thursday.

Volleyball was called off for today yesterday afternoon. Elbow coffee starts at 10 but that's when they are serving breakfast downstairs so it may be a no go.

I may watch the Mariners game. I for sure will be putting all my emergency supplies away, hopefully for a long time.

and

Well, that was an adventure! By the time I got my car out of the garage it has stopped not snowing. It was actually coming down fairly steadily in huge flakes. But, I ventured on, slowly. I had left way early. I didn't have any trouble really. Until I got out of the car. I have boots. But 1. They are way up high in the closet and not worth the trouble getting down and then I was going to have to take one off when I got there anyway plus 2. I forgot.

It was wet and slushy and felt pretty slippery but I made it inside. And was greeted warmly by the receptionist who thanked me for coming on in! I got all entered into the system and paid my copay and then went upstairs to my doctor's waiting room. Before I could even match butt to chair, I heard "Susan?!". I laughed at her and complained that last time she did not even let me get my game up on my phone and this time I didn't even get to sit down! She countered with "more bad news, he's all ready for you."

I was back in my car by 8 am for my 7:50 appointment in the snow! I went downtown and picked up my packages and then stopped at UPS to turn in my returns and then home.

Still snowing and there were a couple of dicey spots. I had a hard time get out of the parking spot in one case and then, I was stopped, on a hill, waiting to turn left and slid a little. So I was very glad to get to my garage door. But then it wouldn't open. No big deal. I called security and he came down, opened the door, and pointed out that had I just cleared the snow off my license plate, the door would have opened fine. And it was the security guard who doesn't really like me anyway. Another notch on his belt. Bone. Head.

I did not get gas. Another day. It will be more expensive but around here, it's always expensive so big whop. On the news last night, they said that gas might soon be up to $4 a gallon. It's been $4 a gallon here for several years.

It is now 10 am and it is still coming down. (The receptionist at the doctor's office said she heard it was supposed to go until noon.) It's very pretty. I've killed the rest of the morning just piddling around on the internet while watching the snow fall. I gotta say, it's not a bad way to waste time.

I may do some more of it.

I woke up, got coffee, fed the cats, sat down at the table next to the window and WHOA!!



It was still snowing then, a little, but now it has stopped. I can see some traffic and several cars have come up the hill to the garage without issue. It is 7:05 and I have an appointment with my foot guy at 7:50. I'm going for it. Once I get off this hill, I suspect there will be nothing on the roads.

But, what a treat! Sorry I didn't get to see it falling. But, at least we got one - teeny tinsey - snow this winter.

After the doctor's, I need to stop at the Amazon Lockers and pick up a package and then at UPS to return one. Then I was going to get gas but it's probably too cold and I probably won't.

Way back decades ago when I first moved to Seattle, I discovered the first week that the main branch of the Seattle Public Library was 1 block from my office. My first Seattle BFF. I was a very frequent customer. I was a beta tester for their first - command line only - off site log in. I could search for and put a hold on books from my desk at work. In the early 90's!!

A long the way, they tore down that library and built a new, spectacular one that has many floors and a walkway that you can browse the stacks just by walking from the top floor to the bottom in a spiral walkway. For a while after I left that IBM office, I still worked downtown and still visited the library often.

Then I worked from home and discovered a the perfect branch library next to my swimming pool. Then I changed pools and found another perfect branch next to my favorite grocery store. Then I went pretty much all digital and just read audiobooks that I got from their app which is what I still do today. Do no tell them I no longer live in Seattle.

I mentioned the 5 book recommendation service they offer and today I got my recommendations and I am blown right out of the water.

Here is my request:

I love a mystery/thriller/police procedural set in the UK AND a legal thriller set in the US (early grisham) AND weird stuff like The Road to Tender Hearts and Bright Creatures.

I don't like sentimentalist, romantic stuff or stuff with children (Tender Hearts was a rare exception). I'd rather my protagonist be Reacher with less fighting. No Harlen Coben or Lee Child. And contemporary, please.

While I mostly read ONLY fiction, I will actually pre-order anything that Mary Roach writes and I enjoy AJ Jacobs as well.

Misc favorite authors - don't need recommendations from these:
Michael Connelly
Harry Bingham
Noah Hawley
Nick Louth
Lee Goldberg
Tim Sullivan
Michael Stagg
Peter Grainger
Andy Weir

I'm currently reading Thomas Perry's latest and so far it's really a disappointment.

I honestly expected to get a list of books I've already read or heard of and rejected.

I got exactly the opposite! Five books I've never heard of by five authors I've never heard of. I could not be more delighted. Here's what I got exactly:

I’m Andrea, a librarian with The Seattle Public Library. Thanks for using Your Next Five Books, our online service for readers, to find suggestions for contemporary UK mysteries and US legal thrillers. Your list of suggested books is here, in our catalog, to make it easier to place holds if you're interested: Your Next 5 Books: UK mystery, US legal thriller.

Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall - In a compromise to save her marriage, Detective Nicola Bridges has moved back to her sleepy coastal hometown. She arrives just in time to investigate a cryptic murder - the owner of the local pub, Jim Tiernan, has been found dead in the middle of the highway, wearing stag antlers. To investigate, she'll enlist the help of inexperienced Detective Harry Ward, and dig into the town's secrets. Author Chibnall is best known as the creator of the TV show Broadchurch.

The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell - In London, Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp and his team dig into two seemingly-unrelated cold cases, triggered by natural/accidental deaths: a heart attack at the theatre shines light on the decades-old disappearance of a girl from a boarding school; and a drowning connects to corporate embezzlement. Meanwhile, Caius navigates entitled members of the upper crust.

The Holdout by Graham Moore - Ten years after a high-profile trial where the jury acquitted a teacher accused of killing one of his students, the jurors have reunited to participate in a true crime documentary. Maya Seale, defense attorney and juror, was instrumental in getting the rest of the jury to acquit. Now, at the reunion, a fellow juror is found dead in her room, and Maya goes on the run to figure out who killed them, and the truth in the original case.

Proof by Jon Cowan - Lawyer Jake West's life - both personal and professional - is on the skids, but when his best friend and colleague is killed and Jake becomes a suspect he takes it upon himself to investigate. Digging into the last case his friend worked on, Jake finds himself embroiled in a complex and politically charged rat's nest.

When We Were Real by Daryl Gregory - This is the "something weird" on your list! Like The Road to Tender Hearts and Bright Creatures, there is a real grounding in characters. So - in this science fiction road trip novel, JP (who has terminal cancer) and his friend Dulin join a bus tour traveling cross country to see the Impossibles - strange sites that appeared 7 years prior when it was revealed that everyone was actually living in a simulation. As JP and Dulin get to know the others on the bus, their friend trip turns into a madcap adventure that interrogates the very nature of reality.

And the link in the first paragraph takes me to the list actually in the library - showing availability of the audiobooks with 1 click hold or 1 click checkout!!!!

This is the coolest thing evaaaaaaaar!

The car. To recap. Saturday, engine light came on. I went to the fix it place's website and started making an appointment to get the error read. Abandoned and figured I'd just pop in this week. Monday I got a text saying they saw I had abandoned and could they help. I texted back my plan to pop in. The response was 'fine'. Turns out that was a lie. I popped in and the not-at-all-helpful dude allowed as how they were way too busy and would need an appointment and the first one was next week. I went home and texted 'nice of you to mislead me.' The response was 'if you want an appointment Monday, I can hook you up.' I did not respond because I couldn't decide between fuck you and fuck you very much.

On my way home from that place, I pulled into the auto parts place to pick up an OBDII reader. In my mind I kind of had the parts place guy coming out to my car with his reader but they looked very busy so I sat in their parking lot and ordered one for $16 from Amazon. It will be here today. And at least I will know if my car is falling apart.

I spent some time yesterday knitting up a teddy bear but by the time I got to his neck, I was done. He's too big. So now I have some other ideas in my head to try out.

Today we have the food and beverage pre-meeting which will be short, I'm guessing and painless, I'm hoping.

I need to change my bed linen and wash it. Today.

TV. Prime has a new Scarpetta series. It starts Nicole Kidman who has always annoyed the fuck out of me. Plus it's based on books written by a woman I actually knew way back before she became a celebrity author. She was a PIA in those days and I have always assumed she is just a bigger, higher paid one now. So, I have to admit, I'm not crushed that the reviews say the series sucks. Will I watch the first episode anyway? Of course I will!

But I watched the first episode of ABC's RJ Decker and it was quite engaging.

Christian and I had a great visit and then he took me up to the unit he's working on. It's a very large unit - 1800 square feet. The woman who recently moved out was the first tenant when it was built 17 years ago. They tore it back really to the studs and it's a hot mess now. It's like a jungle of half walls and studs. It's just way too big and also claustrophobic. Also my view is way better. I was so glad to walk back into my little apartment after seeing that one. He has his work cut out for him.

He's also doing the unit of another guy here moving in next week. This guy is in his 80's driving up from Florida having all his shit shipped. He's paying Christian to get it all in and arranged in the unit. The guy has never laid eyes on Timber Ridge! He has a son living on Orcus Island which is about a 2 hour drive and then 40 minute ferry ride up the road. Closer than Florida.

One thing Christian said yesterday made me look again at parking for our baseball games in June. (He actually said that there was no fucking way we should bring a car near the stadium but that's neither here nor there.) I had looked at parking apps before, including Spot Hero, and the closest spaces available were not close at all. BUT last night, Spot Hero had spots in the football stadium garage - across the street from the baseball stadium - and I was able to secure a spot for all three games. Only $25 per game which, honestly, I think is a steal. It's going to be a bitch getting into the garage and getting out but, hey, I won't be driving - that's what I have my brother and his son for.

It is the same weekend as the World Cup so it's going to be a mad house and, honestly, I'm not even sure I believe Spot Hero. But the money is paid and we are set. I hope. The local news/internets are whipping up a gynormous frenzy about these games and the people coming to down in 2 and a half months.

Biggie's driving me nuts. He's not happy with my typing on the computer so it must be time for me to get up and do something else.