Inside the Little Plastic Castle

1. MyGuy picked up some books at my local branch, where a librarian's T-shirt proclaimed “bookmarks are for quitters“
2. Found a light-hearted, short podcast called "What the Hell is my Job?!". Each episode is two people anonymously describing their job (with lovely sound design, although I could do without the constant music bed). The host is Irish and queer and so far the contributors are all from the UK. There are transcripts on their site under each episode. So far I’ve learned about band managing, freelance percussionists, a Task Rabbit rabbit, and a union dogsbody. They’re soliciting more unusual job-havers: https://whatthehellismyjob.com
3. Learned about What3Words, a global wayfinding app that’s divided the world into 3 metre squares and gave each square a unique combination of three words. It’s the easiest way to find and share exact locations. I appreciate that 3m is close enough to see or hear someone — it’s human scale navigation. I'm delighted they decided to signal a location with three leading back forward slashes, a design that nicely rhymes with three syllables as well as the RL file location. Sadly doesn't (yet) work with Google or Apple Maps, but it is supported by a bunch of navigation apps aimed at blind travelers as well as free Apple and Android apps.
4. Strolling in the dog park yesterday, I encountered ocean waves in Wisconsin at ///riders.loft.scout. The grass is left long by Wingra Creek: in the past three months it’s been hammered by wet snow, internally mauled by -40° temps, and then flattened by breezes. The remnants of last month’s snow are reverse whitecaps on the tattered brown creek side. ( click for pic )

Any joy in your days?

ETA: 19 Feb corrected w3w's indicator.

We've had a warm fall so far -- no frost yet! MyGuy and I live on the edge, so we didn't turn on our heat until last night (39°F/4°C). Which led me to wonder about your relationship to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

( that's why we have polls! )

from mific

"I'm asking those who love the outdoors to post a picture on your page. A picture that you took. Just a pic. No description (but yes alt text!). The goal is to regain peace and harmony without negativity. Please copy the text, put a picture on your page, and let's look at these beautiful pictures."

The key is dressing for it. On my bed are all the things I wore over standard underwear. Having recently lost weight simplified things, since I had several sizes to hand.

aqua wool blend compression socks underneath
pink wool blend ski socks inside
Keen "40 below" tan insulated boots
red wool long underwear underneath
gray wool flannel, poly lined trousers
orange cotton long sleeve crew neck underneath
black wool long sleeve crew neck "base layer" underneath
gray wool-acrylic crew neck sweater
very light weight black polypro balaclava underneath
purple microfleece tube gaiter underneath
ink blue faux fur hunter hat with ear & neck flaps down
windblock pink fleece butt length coat with integral hood pulled over my head underneath
black leather knee length cape

What I didn't wear: my glasses--my viewport was only 8 inches wide by 2 inches high, and they'd be immediately frosted.

I like snow, especially when I don't have to get stuck in it.



Thanks to Shelley for this great photo from last night. It's a pedestrian path underneath the Southwest Commuter Path near my house. A 4in snowfall covers everything. The streetlight behind the overpass picks out icy edges on the timbers holding up the path and the trees and shrubs surrounding it.

So far today (at 123p) it’s been gray, sunny, snowing, drizzling, and now blowing hard at around 30mph with 45mph gusts.

I’ve been data & stuff gardening which is very soothing

( five things )

Have you ever experienced a hurricane firsthand?

Yes. One of my earliest memories is hiding underneath our dining room table as Hurricane Donna felled a large tree at our front door in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Have you ever experienced outside heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celcius)?

Oh yes, the exceptionally hot summer of 1988, when drought abounded throughout the Midwest and Madison was above 100°F for several days.

When and where was the coldest temperature you have ever experienced?

Walking along the railroad tracks in December 1984. The thermometer was at 26° below zero F, but the 25 mph breeze coupled with high humidity made me so cold I cried–and those salty tears immediately froze.

Is your household prepared for a possible power outage of two to seven days?

Not in particular.

Do you have a go bag?

Nope. (See head-in-sand icon on this post)

You too can play at thefridayfive

This morning it was -5° F (-29° C) and Bella was surprised twice.

First she took her customary backyard excursion. She generally launches at full speed from the back door to race the fence line twice, then stake out the larger trees for squirrels, and then eliminate.

Today she sped out the door and screeched to a halt 3 meters away. She peed and pooped as quickly as possible and ran back in.

She then eagerly accepted her leash and was ready to go out the front door. She was so disappointed when the temperature out there was still that cold.

Because back door and front door are different, you see.

I guess it was time to change my default icon.

The Fall Equinox has passed and it's time for the seasonally affected depressives among us to begin our mornings with a bright dose of simulated daylight. As always, us bipolar folks have to be cautious about ramping up the light, and backing off if/when mania is noticeable (helpful to have another opinion on that one).
( five resources for SAD newbies )