A quick note

We took black-eyed peas and scrabble over to my parents for lunch yesterday. My dad has suggested game playing in response to the lifestyle changes suggested for someone with mild cognitive impairment.

Intellectual stimulation may prevent cognitive decline. Studies have shown computer use, playing games, reading books and other intellectual activities may help preserve function and prevent cognitive decline.

Social engagement may make life more satisfying, and help preserve mental function and slow mental decline.

I thought my mom would find scrabble more congenial than my dad's suggestion of hearts. My dad's response was horror: his spelling is much worse than mine. He recognized that it would be good for my mom though, so he gamely agreed. Mom, however, disappeared and called her sister.

I was very disappointed. One reason is just the hope for ever having a relaxed time with my mother that isn't folks trapped in a car....

but it's time to go to work.

(no subject)

I ended up reading this article about the asymmetries in sex parties in Silicon Valley and this NYT article about 'live' water and the entrepreneurs who are promoting it in Silicon Valley today. Not good headspace.

Meanwhile, Evernote became very badly behaved on my work machine. That put me in a funk today.

I'm hoping for a better work day tomorrow.

Tonight i am food adventuring by fixing smelt. Fingers crossed that the small bone-in fish will be appealing.

I've ordered horehound plants after having some horehound candy this holiday season. I'm thinking about my herb garden to be and making all sorts of hard candy flavored with herbs. Lavender candy. I've ordered a mint that they claim has wintergreen flavor. And holy basil's clove scent: i wonder if that would make it as a candy? That's my escape from the thoughts of water that has a shelf life of a month (a lunar cycle, excuse me) because it will turn green.

The happiness i felt some weeks ago seems so hard to grasp today. I'm hoping after a little recovery from the holidays and the asthma flare, the happiness will be easier to find. Gratitude, compassion, and pride, i read recently, help one achieve goals (like New Years resolutions). I know gratitude and compassion are also spiritually powerful, and pride of a certain sort, the "job well done" pleasure -- well i can imagine that being very motivating.

Meanwhile:

Sentences that are hard to read at anytime but make brain go boom after the holiday include, "However if you transform a quantum key exchange to a supersingular Isogeny you can attack post-quantum RSA and thus apply our attack indirectly to secp256k1." https://robotattack.org/