A Sense of Doubt blog post #4238 - Letter to Dad #54 - New Floor at Rivermaiden

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4238 - Letter to Dad #54 - New Floor at Rivermaiden

Hi Big Guy, So, we had our new floor put in. The job is not quite done yet. A few little things left, but that's how these jobs go. We also hired someone to stain the fence, and though he has not stained yet (because of rain), he did a great job prepping with cleaning and sanding. The fence already looks brand new!

I am not making a separate post about some sad news because others in my family did, but I want to tell you (and anyone who reads this) that my father-in-law, Rob, died Sunday. I went to say goodbye. As you know, I had been having lunch with Rob about monthly since you died for obvious reasons. I really loved those lunches and that time together, so did Rob. I will miss him very much.

Beyond that, my internship is going well, though I will have a change of supervisor. I still don't have a log in or an office, but those things are in the works.

Not much else to report. Things are going well otherwise.

Love you, Dad.

More next week.

Enjoy these pictures of our floor project.

Love, christopher

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2609.24 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 4103 days ago & DAD = 756 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4213 - SoD Reprint - Dad Vacation 2022 - Day of Rest

A Sense of Doubt blog post #4213 - SoD Reprint - Dad Vacation 2022 - Day of Rest

Still in reprint mode of DAD posts in honor of his passing two years ago on the 28th. Published at 13:40, the time of his death.

Dad visited here in 2022, the year we bought the Kalama house as an early picture of the front shows, a time before the plum tree, and with many concrete blocks since moved out of the front.

I bought him the Portland t-shirt he's wearing, which I now own again and wear as pajamas.

For me, today is also a day of rest, a self care day before I start my clinical hours tomorrow.

Getting A LOT done.

Thanks for tuning in.

Friday, July 1, 2022

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2691 - DAY OF REST: Dad and I eat at McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2691 - DAY OF REST: Dad and I eat at McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge

We kind of took a day off and had a day of rest. Later in the day, we went out and sat by the river at McMenamins.

Good day.

DAD VACATION

These posts on the "Dad Vacation" are published one day behind the day we did the thing. These pictures were taken on June 30th.

Blog Vacation Two 2022 - Vacation II Post #127

I took a "Blog Vacation" in 2021 from August 31st to October 14th. I did not stop posting daily; I just put the blog in a low power rotation and mostly kept it off social media. Like that vacation, for this second blog vacation now in 2022, I am alternating between reprints, shares with little to no commentary, and THAT ONE THING, which is an image from the folder with a few thoughts scribbled along with it. I am alternating these three modes as long as the vacation lasts (not sure how long), pre-publishing the posts, and not always pushing them to social media.

Here's the collected Blog Vacation I from 2021:

Saturday, October 16, 2021

A Sense of Doubt blog post #2433 - BLOG VACATION 2021 COLLECTED

Dad's club sandwich and cajun tater tots

Dad's drink: The Painkiller

My Jamaican Rice Bowl:

Satchel in the front yard

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2207.01 - 10:10

- Days ago = 2555 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.







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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2608.30 - 13:40

- Days ago: MOM = 4077 days ago & DAD = 730 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3915 - Letter to Dad #009 - Ellory is Okay and Doing Stuff Around the House

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3915 - Letter to Dad #009 - Ellory is Okay and Doing Stuff Around the House

Hi Big Guy, My Dad,

This letter was going to be the orange tie story, but I delayed that to just write you a collection of thoughts.

And it all starts with ELLORY. I told you about her last week, so some of this is reprint, though it's extended.

ELLORY has been very ill.

I have been to the vet Thursday 10/30 and Friday 10/31 with Ellory for her to have fluids and an anti-nausea injection.

Ellory has had ongoing stomach problems for a long time. Recently, it got worse with vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss. I always had to coax her to eat, especially in the morning and usually just in the morning, but that has increased in frequency, too. I delayed taking her in because I was scared, but I also thought that since it was coming and going that it was just her age and her sensitive stomach. We stopped daily cucumbers back in the summer as we worried they were upsetting her stomach.

She ate a good dinner on Tuesday night the 28th, but then Wednesday morning the 29th, she only ate a little breakfast. We walked at the marina Wednesday, and she drank water after the walk. But then I did not see her drink again and she refused to eat anything, even treats. Thursday 10/30, I called the vet and took her in for fluids and the injection. When she still did not drink the rest of the day Thursday and all day Friday, I took her back Friday the 31st for more fluids and another injection.

Saturday 11/1: I got her to drink this morning without having to squirt water into her mouth with the syringe the vet gave me.

We are running a full GI panel now. The fecal sample I took was negative.

2511.04-09:31

Ellory just ate a ton of food without me having to feed her a piece at a time: two eggs, chicken-rice & broth, and a WHOLE chicken thigh (cut up). She ate out of her bowl for the first time since last week!

JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH THE VET!!!

Ellory has severe B-12 deficiency and will need weekly injections for six weeks. Unlikely it's cancer but if symptoms return, we can do an ultrasound.

I had a huge cry of relief, which scared Essel who has to lick my face.

The same day that I received the diagnosis for Ellory, this content showed up in my email entitled

"Why is Vitamin B12 so dangerous?"

https://www.quora.com/Why-is-vitamin-B12-so-dangerous

SPECIFICALLY - https://qr.ae/pCF1Jv

Weird.

IN OTHER NEWS

I keep having intense dreams about teaching and my former colleagues at the job I left. My brain is definitely still processing all that happened and my grief around it.

I want to see the Springsteen movie Deliver me from Nowhere in the theater for the SOUND experience.

Speaking of which, I just switched my music to Nebraska.

I think of you a lot, Dad, when I do things around the house. While I am on break, there's a lot to do that I have been putting off. I need to really hit it. My goal is to try to do something most afternoons and then a couple of days each week devote almost entirely to house chores. I also have to apply for jobs.

Tomorrow's chore is taking Satchel to be groomed during which I will have lunch at a Japanese buffet where I have been wanting to eat since I moved here. And then I am going to camp out at a coffee shop and write until she's done. I also have to get some batteries and should go to the comic book store. I can probably do those things with her in the car, though.

It's official. I still have a 4.0 in graduate school. I secured the grade that had a little room for doubt with a tough professor yesterday. It's very important to me to end with a 4.0 this time through grad school since I lost it (unfairly) in my previous grad school experience.

I did write the professor who rode me about conciseness and thanked her for pushing me to be less wordy. I know I am a wordy writer. However, I had to add that LONG is not always a sign of writing that has failed to be concise. And LONG is subjective. I will include that email at the bottom of this letter.

You're in my dreams a lot, BG. Like last night, there was something with you telling me that I was not the same as you, like not as big of a football fan as you or Lori, but it was more than that, and I actually slapped you. Weird.

Back to stuff around the house, I took the stopper out of the bathroom sink drain to clear the clog, and the whole mechanism broke apart. I didn't think about how I had disconnected it below when I flushed the drain and so water got in the lower cabinet. But then after mopping that all up, I was stuck with a broken contraption that connects to the stopper and so an opening where that mechanism would fit inside and seal off the water pipe. I had to improvise or not use the sink. I found a wine bottle stopper that fit in the hole and seems to have sealed it for now. Next, I am visiting the hardware store for a new contraption and hope I can re-assemble it. I may also buy a rubber drain stopper as that will work if I cannot reassemble the sink stopper thing. I don't really need to fill the sink to shave, I just like to do it. And we will have guests (Ivan and Xai) later this month.

Tomorrow, I plan to work on the main garage (not my library) and clean, take out recycling, and so on.

Saturday, I am at book fest all day, and then Sunday I want to relax and watch football again. I always get through more stacks of comics during football season IF I can make the time to relax and watch on Sundays.

I tell Ellory how much I love and miss you and Mom every night. I also remind her that you loved her and she loved you. It's part of our nightly routine that I call the numbers.

I need to pay a bill and can't log on to the site.

I think that's enough news for this week.

I love you, Dad.

EMAIL TO THE PROF

Hi Professor, I really enjoyed your class, and it has inspired me to possibly pursue work in family/couples counseling, which I had not even considered before the course.


You are definitely the most engaged and most rigorous (that's good!) professor I have had so far at Walden. You are an exceptional professor.


I want to deliver two thank you messages.


First, thank you for not tanking my grade on the final discussion board due to missing use of learning resources. I was going to say in my defense that this requirement was not communicated. And though it's true that this requirement is not stipulated in the discussion instructions (which I know you do not write — something for the course developers to add), it is in the rubric, you mentioned it in your week 10 announcement, and it's been the practice all quarter. With the caution for not using resources for our article, I grew confused, but I should have not been.


I had worked out what grade I needed on that last assignment to keep an A in the course, which was a goal that's very important to me, and thankfully, I earned enough. Thank you for help with that.


Sidenote, my first time in grad school, I had a 4.0 going for my first year and then lost it, so this time around, it's very important to me to achieve that goal. Plus, I am under employed at the moment, so there's less excuse to not put my all into my studies.


Secondly, thank you for your emphasis on conciseness. I am a wordy writer. I always have been. I have taught conciseness in some forms of writing but not in general composition or research-based writing. While I disagree that something that appears long is not concise in all cases, you made me work harder to go over my writing multiple times to remove unnecessary words, sentences doing double duty, and so on. I needed that kind of consistent instruction from a professor, and I feel that I have grown a great deal in this regard.


Once again, thank you for a great quarter. Best wishes to you. Stay safe in Chicago.


Peace,
chris

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2511.06 - 10:10

- Days ago: MOM = 3780 days ago & DAD = 434 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3454 - Work Spaces - via Warren Ellis

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3454 - Work Spaces - via Warren Ellis



Like Warren Ellis, I am fascinated by work spaces and process. I love seeing where other people work and learning about how they work.

I am fascinated by work space. My work spaces tell a story, and I narrate them below.

Farther down, there's the bit from Warren Ellis' newsletter and a site he shared with views of many people's work spaces.

My current office is in the lower level, in an ADU -- Alternate Dwelling Unit.

For me, work space is combination of functionality, efficiency, and convenience as the space dictates. Some spaces where I have worked have demanded different set ups. I like design, but I am less interested in maintaining some magazine-style set up than I am in creating a space where I can function.

Things I need must be at hand.

Two monitors are essential. (I now have three on two machines).

Music.

Clutter demonstrates either a lack of convenient storage or a very busy work life with little time to deal with and clear the clutter. 

Here's the main desk area with two computers and three screens, The desktop is to the left with pens lined up in front of it. There's a coaster for coffee or water (see the water here) with some decorations, like the Vision bobble head, the baseball, and the Rubik's cubes are covered up. The desk calendar is between the main screen and the keyboard, often covered with to-do lists and my current notebooks: the blue thing with the pens next to the eye glasses. There's bill just past the eyeglasses, propped right in my line of sight so I remember to pay it. See the Snoopy thumb drive at 11 o'clock with the glasses as center? At 10 o'clock is a travel clock with a temperature gauge because I am obsessed with keeping track of time. At 9 o'clock is another Coaster from the King Crimson album In the Court of the Crimson King. 

Next at 8 o'clock, some of the sticky notes. This area get full of sticky notes, and I am trying to keep it somewhat clear as it makes me crazy to have notes there. Left of the sticky notes an eraser and an Einstein thumb drive. The wrist saver for the mouse pad came to me when the previous one's gel disintegrated into a sticky morass. The mouse pad itself is a custom job with my Galactic Monkey Wrench logo. There's an R2D2 thumb drive, unused, in that silver tonight just above the mouse and a charging cord for the phone if I need it.

There's three lights that are visible in all three pictures but not well seen but that's the black pole in the picture above. There's also a wall calendar that is clearly visible.

Some other clutter in notes and things, but it's very functional, and I am very comfortable in this space compared to previous offices.

Trash and recycling under the desk.

To the right, the music set up and the second computer and third screen. Mostly, I play music or videos out of the second computer but sometimes play CDs or vinyl albums just on the stereo. The computer sound also runs into the stereo. The turntable is also hooked up to the computer to digitize vinyl albums, though I have not imported any yet.

NOTE the Underdog toy, the Detroit Tigers Baseball card holder, and the black shelving unit that my Dad made for me after I got married. In the top right corner of the photo, you can see the Nostromo sticker taped to the mirror in the bathroom beyond.

To the left is the TV and a side table (also made by my Dad), the BIG to-do list in the book reader prop is not visible in the picture below but is in the next one down. There's more tables past the door to the patio.

There's another clock on top of the TV -- a Mystery Machine replica -- along with an Amazon Echo, cable box, the red Chinese good fortune cat my Mom had, a DVD player. The computer speakers are split between the TV and the desktop, all of which is why I have not switched to a flat screen because I like being able to set all those things ON the TV. There's a Sleestak and a Robbie the Robot, a fan, and a microphone. And obviously, the Teen Titans poster.

Stacks of comic books and books on the side table.

The three pictures above were taken this week in 2024,  but the pic below was taken September 30th, 2022, which was about six months after we moved in to the Kalama house. There have been some changes since 2022 but not a lot.

Here's two shots of the Blacktail office. Very similar set up left to right. The two computers started here, the laptop is a third one, sort of in front of the TV.

This pic below is right of the main desk are, so behind me in the pic above, and shows to the TO DO list and the calendar. I had room for the page-a-day calendars in this set up. They are in bathroom at Kalama house.

Here's some shots of the office at school (below). I started by wanting to keep track of the magnets, as I bought a new one each time I went to the local comic book store.

Back in Michigan, at the St. Antoine house, I had less space and less storage space as seen below. But I had a standing work station in the foreground bottom left as well as just one desktop and two screens. But I had more stacks of books and papers and things.

These speakers stacked here are in the pictures above in the current office, hooked up to the stereo. My friend John Grevers made these for me in college about 40 years ago.

More close ups of my stacks, which are mostly gone in the current office.

Here's left of the main desk with a good view of the big TO DO list, lower right of the photo in the clipboard.

Right of the main desk area as the calendar used to be propped up. More phones back then, more pictures around the desk area.

from

Post-Midsummer Orbital Operations for 7 July 2024

OPERATIONS

WORK DESIGN

I got a cover in on July 4 that I so wish I could show you, but we have a plan and I need to stick to it. But my god, that piece made my day all on its own.

In full flow over here. I have six or seven things in train, while maintaining some space in case anything else interesting presents itself.

This is where work design comes into play.

Insane office desk, right? Who’d do that? But here’s the thing: Danielle Steel has written close to 200 novels. This space clearly works for her.

I’ve worked for thirty years in the same tiny back room, on a second-hand desk, sitting on an old wooden dining chair with a cushion on it, facing a 21-inch screen with whiteboards hung on the wall behind it. It works for me. I have everything I need within reach. CDs and films are easy to access. I like sound when I’m working, and I can bring up music, podcasts, tv and radio with just a couple of gestures. Going into deep work requires only muted video on the big screen and music played over the top. I work with my back to the window.

You need to design your space so it works for you. Even if it’s a cubbyhole or just a little desk in your living room. If you’re not happy in your work space, you won’t get much work done in it. It needs to be comfortable and it needs to give you pleasure to be there.

Take a look today at the place where you do your creative work. Do you like it? How could you make it better? The whiteboards and the gooseneck holder for the phone were game changers for me.

But seriously: the least friction possible between the work and you doing it. That’s the thing.

Bonus round: Ray Bradbury’s office was insane.

(I sat at Arthur Conan Doyle’s remote writing desk in Kent once and wrote a note there, just to feel that connection.)

https://www.workspaces.xyz/

ace ->

past editions

440 - Dinesh Dave

439 - Adam Noffsinger

438 - Helin Kıl

437 - Daniel Klopper

436 - Isaac French

435 - Mark Gilroy

434 - Arthur Kim

433 - Mason Watson

432 - That Virtual Boy

431 - Rishad Amarkhel

430 - Nick Levesque

429 - Juanjo Valiño

428 - Mattia Giannattasio

427 - Can Uludag

426 - Austin Blake

425 - Metehan Kaya

424 - Easlo

423 - Benedict Neo

422 - Carlos Cuesta

421 - Silvia Sguotti

420 - Kevin Twohy

419 - Tobias Reich

418 - Sval Itsutora

417 - Mine Canan Göldaf

416 - Totte Annerbrink

415 - Japheth Crawford

414 - Neville Medhora

413 - Michael Flarup

412 - Mateus Almeida

411 - Anton Sten

410 - Alvar Sans

409 - Ivan Nedyalkov

408 - Rishi Kar

407 - Matthew Suff

406 - Olivier Konan

405 - Grace Clarke

404 - Federico Storai

403 - Maitreyee Kalaskar

402 - Thomas Williams

401 - David Bustos

400 - Paulo Shishido

399 - Nick Smet

398 - Fabio Monzani

397 - David Tyler

396 - Matt Webb

395 - Housseynou Fall

394 - Sean Woolsey

393 - Luca Defreitas-Hansen

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2408.02 - 10:10

- Days ago = 3318 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.